Thank God for Insurance

I got the first bill today for the terb pump and home monitoring:$3873.72. That is for 2 weeks! I will be on it for a total of 14 weeks (assuming these babies stay put until 37 weeks) So all total it will be like $28k. Thank God we changes insurance plans in January to go from 80% coverage to 90% coverage, but that still leaves us paying $2800 out of pocket and thats not including delivery, NICU time, Dr. bills etc. I am so making an itemized list of how much these babies cost and showing it to them when they get bratty.

30 weeks

A couple of days late.

How far along? 30w2d
Total weight gain/loss: + 35 pounds
Stretch marks? My boobs and my left hip are covered with ugly red stretch marks.
Sleep: Its been great!
Movement: Baby A (Lily) moves around like crazy, especially when I lay down for bed. Baby B (Logan)is facing my back so I don't feel too much out of him, which worries me between u/s but I see him moving all around on u/s and don't feel due to his position.
Food cravings: Bacon sandwiches
Belly Button: It still an innie, but just barely
What I miss: Hot bubble baths (can't soak in the tub with the terbutaline pump injection site)
What I’m looking forward to: Finishing the nursery
Milestones: Making it to 30 weeks. Next major goal is 32 weeks

I had an OB appointment last week and we had our first BPP. Both babies passed with 8/8 and my cervix was 3.4 cm and closed. So we are still doing pretty good.

My contractions picked back up over the past few days. We think its due to constipation so I had J bring me a white chocolate mocha and it seemed to solve the problem and my contractions have slowed. I am now taking 2 colace a day to hopefully prevent a repeat.

29 week growth scan

I had my 29 week growth scan on Friday and both babies looked great! Baby A was measuring 2 lbs 13 oz and was in the 53rd percentile and Baby B was measuring 2 lbs 10 oz and was in the 46th percentile. They had a 7% weight discrepancy. The MFM said anything under 20% is great. Cervix was still long and closed and for the first time we didn't have to increase my terbutaline. So things are moving along. My next short term goal is 30 weeks which is Sunday.

I have my first shower on Saturday. I am excited. Mainly just to get out of the house. Its at my grandmother's house so I can sit in her recliner while everyone brings me yummy food! I think I am more excited about the shower food that my mom and brother are making then the actual gifts!

Also I just ordered 2 of these from Etsy:



The seller is custom making them in shades of sage, white and chocolate to match the nursery. I cannot wait for them to come in!

Snow in the South

This only happens about once every ten years:

Score

An old co-worker just gave my 8 boxes of baby girl clothes! I went through them all yesterday and they are all 6-24 months, so once this girl grows into them she will be styling! Now I have to get J to carry them all up to the attic until we need them. She also gave me another boppy and 2 covers so now I have 2 boppies and 3 covers. 2 of the 3 covers are girly so I am planning on getting one more neutral one for baby boy. So far we have been so lucky and have been given 2 swings, 2 boppies, a play mat, a bathtub, and a practically brand new Medela breast pump. I can't wait until my shower because I am in full out nesting mode and I have to keep stopping myself from ordering everything because I need to know now that it is taken care of, if that makes sense. Like the other night I was on diapers.com and has my cart full of newborn diapers but stopped myself because I need to see how many diapers we get at the shower. I don't want to have too many newborns that they will grow out of before we use them all.

My glider came in the other day and I love it. J and his dad also went and bought 2 of these from Buy Buy Baby with the 20% off coupons we got in the mail. Those coupons are like gold around here.


Tomorrow will be 28 weeks, which is my first goal and while we don't want them to make an appearance for at least 8 more weeks, its comforting to know they now have a 95% chance of survival. My nephew was born at 28 weeks and although he was in the NIC-U for 4 months he is now a healthy happy almost 7 year old with no lingering health problems.

I went yesterday and got my hair highlighted and cut and I am so happy to have done something for myself. It was a lot on me and I noticed a lot of contractions while I was there and sitting up for so long so my plan for the weekend is to stay on the couch and rest even though I want to go out and play in the snow, which only happens like once every 10 years around here.

27 Weeks

How far along? 27w1d
Total weight gain/loss: + 33 pounds
Stretch marks? My boobs look like road maps and I have one on each hip. None on the belly...yet
Sleep: Pretty good. I really can't complain.
Movement: They have active days and quiet days, but they are definitely moving around in there
Food cravings: Steak. I could not even stomach the thought of steak in the 1st and 2nd tris, but now I cannot get enough. I guess its my body wanting protein and iron.
Belly Button:Its holding on for dear life. Not much longer before it pops. The hole from my belly button ring looks weird and gross. The hole that was on the inside is now higher than the outer hole was.
What I miss: Cleaning my house
What I’m looking forward to: Getting my tree decal and glider in this week
Milestones: Making it to the 3rd tri.

3rd Tri

I am officially in the 3rd trimester! Yay! I had a MFM appointment yesterday and everything looked good. My cervix is holding steady at 3.5cm and the babies fluid levels and blood flow looked good. We didn't get any u/s pics though since it was just a quick u/s to check cervix and fluid. We will get another growth scan in 2 weeks. We did have a problem getting the NST done because the babies would not stay on the monitors. It took almost 2 hours to get it done. We tried when we first got there and the nurse thought she had both babies, but turns out it was just one even though the monitors were spaced pretty far apart. She tried for awhile to find the other baby and could only pick up one heartbeat so she sent us on to u/s to get our measurements and see the positioning of the babies. Turns out the problem was they are chest to chest in there making it very difficult to pick up 2 distinct heartbeats. So we went back to the NST room and the u/s tech who did the u/s came in to place the monitors since she knew where they were. As soon as she would find one it would run away from the monitor. It took another 45 minutes to get them on the monitors long enough to get enough data. They were not happy about being bothered. I have never felt them move around so much and so violently. Then Baby A got hiccups. This was the first time I have ever felt that and I would have never even noticed it, but the nurse had her hand near baby A holding the monitor trying to chase her down and she said she thought the baby had hiccups and when I concentrated I could feel the little jerks. She turned up Baby A's sound and we could hear the little jerks on the monitor. It was too cute, but it made her even more mad and she refused to be still long enough to get anymore readings on her. Maybe next time there will be less room for them to hide and we will have an easier time getting the readings we need.

I have noticed my contractions have picked back up in the past week so I mentioned it to the Dr. and she increased my Terb by 10% and that has seemed to help. I was worried the terb was losing its effectiveness, but she said its perfectly normal for contractions to pick up as my uterus gets bigger. Thats the beauty of the terb pump. Its very easy to adjust the doses slightly. I am still on a pretty low dosage so there is room to increase as needed.

I have a few craft projects I plan to work on this week. I have to finish painting the names for over the cribs and then I want to attempts to make mobiles. So hopefully all that will keep me busy for awhile.

Nursery Progress

Here is what we have so far:

The cribs:



That window will have a blind (as soon as we can find the right size) and some white curtains. The bedding is going to be white breathable bumpers, white sheets and white crib skirts. I am hand painting their names to go over the cribs in white, sage and chocolate.

The dresser:



I ordered this glider and I hope to fit it in the corner between the dresser and the closet. It going to take some squeezing.



The changing table:



I plan to order this decal to go over it. Its pretty pricey, but since I am not spending a ton on bedding it will be my one splurge:



The closet:



The door:



I still need to find a lamp and some other accessories, but I think we have made pretty good progress so far.

Double Digits!!

99 days to go, but not really.

25 weeks

I had a MFM appointment on Friday and it went pretty well. I had some contractions while there so she increased my bolus doses from every 6 hours to every 4 and it has really helped. The babies looked great. Baby A weighs 1 lb 13 oz and Baby B weighs 1 lb 11 oz. We even got some 4d images of Baby B. Baby A was breech and had her face completely covered so we couldn't see her. The MFM measured my cervix herself and got 3.5 cm and anything over 3 cm is great. So we are kinda thinking the tech at my OBs office who measured it at 2.4 cm missed part of it. The MFM said it is tricky to get cervix measurements. So I am feeling a lot better with 3.5 cm. I have started getting heartburn every evening. I noticed this the same day i noticed that my belly had shifted and Baby B had moved up. This was confirmed when the u/s tech had to dig into my ribs to get Baby B.

Baby B (Boy)









Belly at 25 weeks:

V-day

Today is V-day! We of course don't want these little guys to make an appearance any time soon, but it is good to know they have a chance should they. I am all hooked up to my terb pump and I have to strap on the monitor 2x a day unless i feel more contrax than i think i should then i can strap it on anytime. I am liking talking to a nurse at least 2xs a day. I can ask all those silly little questions i usually file at the back of my mind for my next appt and then forget about. On Friday night I had 9 contrax which scared the hell out of me, but we think i was dehydrated and hungry. Once I ate dinner and drank some water and gave myself a demand dose of terb I monitored again and only had 1 contrax. Every other time I have had between 0-3 contrax and I am allowed 4 so I guess I am doing good. I am still pretty freaked out, but i am trying to put faith in my doctors and believe this will work or otherwise they would not be doing all this. I have an appt with my MFM on Friday and I am praying the bedrest (which i am officially on) has kept my cervix stable.

I started Lost season one on Netflix Instant thing on J's xbox. I am addicted and they have all the seasons on there so I will at least have that to do. In fact I am off to watch now.

Not a great OB appt

The babies looked great and they are growing like they should, but my cervix went from 3.6 cm to 2.4 cm due to the BH contrax so I am now on oral terbutaline until they come and set me up with a terb pump which should be tomorrow. I am pretty terrified of all this, but I know I am getting great care which helps. In addition to the terb pump I will be getting a home uterine activity monitor which i will use 2x a day for an hour each. It will transmit the data to a nurse and she will call me and give me instructions. I have not been put on strict bedrest just told to rest rest rest and take it easy so I have pretty much put myself on bedrest just getting up to pee and get snacks. Its going to be a long next couple of months but I really want to keep these babies in for at least 10 more weeks. Sunday is V-day and I am counting down the minutes. I am hoping it will be a milestone that will give me a tad bit of relief. I will be sure to post pics of all my new accessories.

Nursery Progress

So far we have the nursery walls painted. Its a medium sage green color (Spring Hill by Behr). I really like the color. I plan to use white accessories with it (bedding, lamp, curtains, wall decals) and throw in a splash of chocolate brown (wall decor, rocker/recliner). We finally have all the furniture in and J is supposed to put it together this weekend if he finishes painting the trim and ceiling. I think the 2 dressers are already together since the boxes look like they are the size of the complete piece. Once everything is together I can place the furniture and decide on the wall decals. It is incredibly hard to figure out how to fit 2 cribs in a room. Every wall is and inch or 2 too short to line them up end to end. One wall has a window in the center and I will probably have to put one on each side of the window, but then they will overlap the window about an inch, but I am not seeing any other options.

Here is a pic of the color (its a little darker IRL) and the new second shelf J and his dad installed in the closet. I think that shelf may need to be moved up a few notches:



I am thinking about this decal for somewhere in the room:



I also need something for behind the cribs and I am at a loss. I can do name decals i suppose or maybe canopies. I am still up in the air on this.

22 weeks

How far along? 22w1d
Total weight gain/loss: + 22 pounds
Stretch marks? There is a small one on my right boob, which is weird because I don't think my boobs have grown very much
Sleep: Its getting a little better, but i still wake up with extreme hip pain several times a night and have to get up and walk around to relieve it
Movement: They seem to have slowed down some. I think they changed positions so that i can't feel their kicks as much
Food cravings: Nothing really
Belly Button: Its stretching. I think it will pop out by 30 weeks.
What I miss: Sleep
What I’m looking forward to: V-day
Milestones: J felt some outside kicks

We had a growth scan last week and both babies weighed in at 1lb each, which is perfect!

Baby A kicking her brother in the head:



22w:

21 weeks and some firsts

J was able to feel some outside kicks last night! We were lying in bed watching TV when i started to feel some really strong kicks so i put his hand there and after a few seconds his eyes lit up and he said he never wanted to take his hand away again, but he only got that one before he(I am thinking it was Baby B) quieted down, but then about an hour later he started back up and J was able to feel a few more.

I have my first stretch mark. Its on the bottom of my right boob, which I find odd since my boobs really have not grown much. I can still wear my A cups. Hopefully I won't get anymore. (Yeah, right)

I have also been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions. I plan to discuss this with my OB on Tuesday. She said at my last appointment to call if I have more than 6 in an hour and the most I have counted so for is 4, but they seem to be getting stronger. I don't like. They worry me that my cervix will start shortening and dilating too soon. So I have been trying to take it easy today and I have only had like 1 all day, so I may put myself on modified bedrest to try to fend them off. I just feel like a lazy pig if i do nothing all day.

I am excited to see them again on Tuesday and hopefully confirm the sex on Baby A. I think they are doing another anatomy scan since that last one I had was with my MFM. The u/s appointment is scheduled for an hour and last time for just a quick look it was only scheduled for 20 minutes.

20 weeks

Halfway there! Well technically more than halfway since I won't go to 40 weeks, but still yay!

How far along? 20w1d
Total weight gain/loss: + 20 pounds (I did my 20 lbs in 20 weeks even without eating much. I credit the protien shakes with ensure i have been downing almost everyday)
Stretch marks? not yet, but I am sure they will appear
Sleep: Pretty much non existant at this point. I just lay awake for hours :/
Movement: Definitely! They get pretty active in there sometimes, but still not hard enough to feel from the outside.
Food cravings: Nothing really
Belly Button: Its stretching. I think it will pop out by 30 weeks.
What I miss: Sleep
What I’m looking forward to: Movement from the outside so J can feel it.
Milestones: Definite movement

I have been a bad blogger

I just don't really have much to say. My life is pretty boring right now. One great thing is that I am feeling movement. Actually I have been feeling it for about 3 weeks but at first was not sure it was the babies. But now I am sure its them! They get pretty active in there sometimes especially after I eat. I can't wait until J can feel them on the outside. He looks at me sometimes and says "There are 2 people INSIDE of you, thats so weird" But he is so excited.

We still don't have much nursery progress to report. Its hard to come up with decor for a b/g nursery. I am thinking we will paint 3 walls a pale sage green and the 4th wall where the cribs will go will be a darker sage green with a white tree mural. I made some cute owls out of scrapbook paper. I am not sure on the colors of them and I may make some more in more green shades and then frame them for over the dresser. I am probably sticking with plain white bedding since I can't find a thing I like thats neutral. There are plenty of frilly pink sets I like and plenty of boyish sets, but i want some semblance of matchiness in there.

They also have names, well they are still subject to change up until birth, but right now Baby girl is Shea Elizabeth (I am not sold on the MN so it will probably change) and Baby boy is Logan Henry.

Thats about it. I promise to take a belly pic on Sunday which will be 20 weeks! I have been slack on belly pics.

18w1d and Anatomy Scan

We had our anatomy scan on Friday and everyone looked great! They were 8oz each which puts them ahead of schedule! Baby B is still a boy, no one has any doubts about that as he is not shy. Baby A is most likely a girl, but no one will say 100%. We don't have another u/s for 4 weeks so I am going with boy/girl to register etc, but saving all the receipts for anything i buy. We did get our registry started at Buy Buy Baby. Wow its so overwhelming. There is just so much stuff!

I am also now officially unemployed. Stupid economy. Since no one will hire a KU lady and I don't plan to go back to work after the babies are born anyway, I am just enjoying the free time while I have it. It does get lonley being alone all day with just the dogs and cats but there are a ton of projects I want to do so hopefully I can keep myself busy and have a nice clean house! Although I have been off work for a week and have yet to even vacuum. Oh well, there is time!

U/S today

and everyone was looking great! Both babies were measuring about a week ahead and both weighed in at 7ozs. I am so happy they are the same size and that Baby A caught up! They were kicking each other like crazy. Especially Baby B, he is so active. I wonder if he will be once hes an outside baby? Baby A seems more laid back. It amazing they have personalities already. Baby B is definitely still a boy and was not shy about showing it. Baby A is still not giving up the goods. The tech at first said boy, but then said its most likely a girl but could not get a shot showing the three lines that confirms it. I am unsure. I know I saw something between the legs but then it went away and then i thought i caught a glimpse of the three lines. So maybe it was the cord? We have another u/s on Friday with my MFM so hopefully Baby A will be a little more cooperative. I want to start decorating!

I am just so happy they are healthy! We got some pretty god shots this time:

Baby A:



Baby B:

17 weeks

How far along? 17w1d
Total weight gain/loss: + 12 pounds
Stretch marks? not yet, but I am sure they will appear
Sleep: not so good anymore. I cannot get comfortable. If I lay on my left side my left hip hurts, if I lay on my right my right hip hurts.
Movement: Possibly. I can't be positive but I may have felt a little bit.
Food cravings: Salty things
Belly Button: It looks weird because the bottom part of the hole from my belly button ring is now visible.
What I miss: Sleeping on my back
What I’m looking forward to: Seeing the babies tomorrow and confirming the sexes
Milestones: Possible movement

Salt

Let me preface this by saying I LOVE salt. I would rather have salty things than sweet. But salt has broken up with me. I am noticing that when I have salt my finger swell up and my rings hurt. I had some fries Saturday night and within an hour I felt like my rings were going to cut off my circulation. So i have to make the choice to either wear my wedding rings or eat french fries. :(

15 weeks

We have furniture!

J and I were over near Buy Buy Baby yesterday (all the baby stores are at least 45 mins from home) so while we were nearby we decided to go in and browse the furniture one more time before making any final decisions. J has been in love with one set there since day one and I really liked it too, but it cost more than I wanted to spend and they never had any of the pieces in stock and it can take up to 20 weeks to come in and I would kinda like to have the nursery set up before the babies get here. Well as soon as we walked in J went directly to his favorite set and was determined that we were getting that set. Amazingly they had 2 cribs and the tall dresser in stock so we went ahead and got them. They did not have any of the short dressers, but they already have an order in for several so it should be in within 6-8 weeks. This is the set we got:

NT Scan

I had my first appointment with my MFM on Friday and she did my NT Scan. First we met with the geneticist and went over our family histories etc. She felt we were not at a high risk for any genetic disorders and didn't feel we needed any additional testing unless we really wanted to do it. So we declined everything but the NT Scan. Since the Dr. was delivering a baby we had to wait forever which was no fun. But finally we got called to the ultrasound room. Once we saw them and their little hearts beating away I asked the u/s tech if it was too early to see the sexes. She said she would look and immediately Baby B gave up the goods and she said Baby B is definitely a boy! She got all his measurements and he was measuring 3 days ahead at 14w1d. Baby A was being very uncooperative so the tech left for a few minutes hoping it would move, but when she came baby it was still all balled up. She tried to get the measurements she needed and Baby A was measuring 3 days behind at 13w2d. Which kind of worried me. But J says it was because of being balled up. (He had a much better view of the screen than I did). The tech still could not get a shot of the goods to tell us the sex. She left again and this time the Dr. and a different tech came in to get some more measurements. After Dr. W got her measurements she asked if we wanted to know the sexes and we said YES! She said Baby A appears to be a girl and Baby B looks like a boy, but don't go out and decorate the nursery or anything yet. So it looks like we are having one of each!!! We then met with Dr. W and she went over the results of the scan. She said both babies are looking perfect and their NT folds measure right where she wants them, which is under 3.5 mm. They were 1.5mm and 1.7mm. I asked about Baby A measuring behind and she was not concerned at all, she said it would have to be a much bigger difference for her to be concerned. So right now everyone is looking great!

Dr. W said that my biggest risk right now is pre term labor and the best way to combat that is to drink at least a gallon of water a day and milk, juice, and moisture in foods don't count. It has to be a gallon of plain water, however lemonade and kool-aid are okay too if I need a change. So I have been dutifully drinking myself to the point of drowning.

And here are some of my favorite pics from the u/s:

Baby A Profile



Hello! (Baby A)


Baby B


Baby B (Boy Parts)

2nd Tri

Woot officially second tri!

13w1d

How far along? 13w1d
Total weight gain/loss: + 7 pounds
Stretch marks? not yet, but I am sure they will appear
Sleep: not so good anymore. I cannot get comfortable.
Best moment this week: Seeing the babies again and watching them wiggle around
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Pizza pretzel combos
Belly Button: its starting to flatten out
What I miss: Staying up past 9pm
What I’m looking forward to: Getting out of the first tri
Weekly Wisdom: No gems this week
Milestones: Had my OB appointment

First OB appointment

I had my first OB appointment yesterday. It went great except for the fact that I was there for over 3 hours. My appointment was at 2 so we got there about 1:40 because we knew there would be papers to fill out. Then the power went out. After about 10 minutes everyone was given the option to reschedule or wait it out. Most people left so we decided to give it 30 minutes since it was looking like we would be the next ones called back since everyone in front of us left. Well it came back on about 20 minutes later and we were the next ones called back. We met with the dr. and went over all the typical dos and don'ts etc. and she told me that since its twins, she wants me to also see a high risk OB. I will see each dr. every 4 weeks so I will see one or the other every 2 weeks. I then had an exam and a pap and was ushered off to the ultrasound room. Both babies looked great. They were measuring right on track at 12w1d and 12w2d (I was 12w1d) with heart rates of 171 and 165. We weren't able to get a good shot of them both together because they were on different planes. Basically one had its head toward my belly button and its feet toward my spine and the other one was laying right to left. They were sleeping at first so the tech had to wake them up. So cute! Then they drew 8 vials of blood. Eight! The high risk office called today and scheduled my Level II ultrasound for next Friday. I am hoping to catch a glimpse of the goodies but it may still be too early. Here are the little gummy bears:
Baby A


Baby B



and here is momma bear at 12w1d

Doppler came in today!

and we heard both heartbeats, i think. I know we got one and listened to it for awhile and calculated it at around 160 bpm. I think we heard the second one but that baby was being uncooperative and as soon as we would hear it it would move so we didn't really get to calculate it so I cannot be positive it was not the same one twice, but it was on the other side and sounded a little faster. J thinks the doppler is the coolest thing ever and i had to forbid him from using it on the dogs. ::sigh:: He has a new toy. I am going to try my best not to obsess and listen to them every 20 minutes. I am going to limit myself to once in the evenings.

It still feels so weird to think that there are living creatures inside of me. It still seems so abstract. Maybe once i feel them move it will feel more real. I just can't wrap my brain around it.

11w3d

How far along? 11w3d
Total weight gain/loss: + 5 pounds
Stretch marks? not yet, but I am sure they will appear
Sleep: not so good anymore. I cannot get comfortable.
Best moment this week: Wearing my first maternity shirt. If my belly is growing the babies must be growing right?
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Nothing really, I have reverted to the "nothing sounds good, don't make me eat" phase
Belly Button: its starting to flatten out
What I miss: Not being a zombie by 3pm
What I’m looking forward to: Getting out of the first tri
Weekly Wisdom: No gems this week
Milestones: Nothing has really happened this week.

There is baby stuff in my house

Eeek! Today a wonderful coworker gave me: a swing, a tub, a jumper, a play mat and a $300 Medela breast pump that she used for 2 weeks. Everything looks brand new! We added it all to the pile of crap in the to be nursery. We have so much work to do to that room. I walk in there to do stuff and get overwhelmed and don't know where to begin and leave. All of J's crap is in there and its bursting at the seams. We have some serious purging to do. I need to take some before pictures.

I also bought a snoogle yesterday. I still can't get comfortable on my side. I can only sleep on my back. I am trying to train myself to sleep on my left side, but my left arm goes numb every time. Sometimes I manage to fall asleep on my side, but I always wake up on my back. Once laying on my back becomes uncomfortable I will probably not sleep at all.

I ordered a dopplar today. I am excited for it to come in but also nervous. I know if I can't find the heartbeats I will freak out, but I have my OB appointment on Monday, so it will be a short lived freak out. I have gotten spoiled by the weekly u/s and now I have to go 2 weeks and I am not even sure I will get one at my first OB appointment. I wish they sold at home u/s machines.

I leave you with an 11w1d belly pic.

Bye bye boobies

::sigh:: I knew it was too good to be true. I was hoping my recent acquisitions were pregnancy related and that pregnancy would give me the nice rack I have always dreamed of, well it looks like thats not the case. :( As soon as I stopped taking the Estrace, my gifts from the boob fairy slowly started to fade away into oblivion. I am almost back to my pre-pregnancy barely A's. I should have known it was the Estrace from the beginning since they exploded just a few days after I started taking it, so by 4dpo I was stacked. I am still holding out hope that one day the boob fairy will return to my house soon and leave me some nice little presents.

10 week Belly Pic

I am a few days late with this, but my internet at home has not been working. J fixed it last night thank goodness!



I think its a little smaller than last week. I am attributing it to the fact that I am off the estrace so some of the bloating has gone down.

I thought I would do one of these little surveys everyone does, because I never know what to write anymore.

How far along? 10w3d
Total weight gain/loss: + 4 pounds
Stretch marks? not yet, but I am sure they will appear
Sleep: great except for getting up to pee six times a night
Best moment this week: seeing the babies wiggling around like crazy
Movement: not yet
Food cravings: Ice cold orange juice. I cannot get enough
Belly Button: its starting to flatten out
What I miss: Staying up past 9:00pm
What I’m looking forward to: Getting out of the first tri
Weekly Wisdom: You can't have cats around babies because they will suck the breath out of them. Thanks grandma, I will be sure to remember this ::eye roll::
Milestones: They actually look like babies now and not blobs!

Graduation!

Today I graduated from my RE. Its bittersweet. I love the Dr. and the nurses there, but I will be glad to be a normal OB patient, well as normal as a twin pregnancy can get. I had my 10w1d ultrasound today and both babies looked great. They were wiggling around like crazy and both measured right on at 10w1d with heart rates of 164 and 175. The RE believes that the spotting was from one of the placentas, but since it was a very tiny spot and I have had no more bleeding since, he was not concerned. He just said call if I have any more bleeding. I sure hope I don't because bleeding sucks. Here is the best pic from today. It was really hard to get a good shot of them both together.

Bleeding Scare

So just as I was getting comfortable in this pregnancy I start bleeding. On Monday night, I was getting ready for bed and noticed mostly brown, but with a little red blood. It really freaked me out and I didn't know what to do. I could not get in touch with my RE's office. I have never been so scared in my life and the internet did not help. It told me I was loosing one of the babies. So J took me to the ER. Probably overreacted but I was so scared. An u/s showed both babies were doing great. They were even measuring a little ahead and had strong heart beats. The ER Dr. could not tell me what was causing the bleeding but told me since I am RH- I needed a Rhogam shot or else my body would reject the babies. Way to freak me the fuck out even more. The nurse came in to do it and was saying some people have a severe reaction to it so they would need to monitor me for an hour etc. I was like hold up. My RE knows I am RH-, he has not even mentioned this shot. I knew I would need one at some point, but i wanted to talk to my RE before doing anything drastic. The ER Dr. stressed that i would need to get this shot within 72 hours. So first thing yesterday morning I called my RE's office and of course he is out of town this week, but I talked to the wonderful nurse there and she told me that the spotting was most likely from on of the babies burrowing into a blood vessel and since we had seen both heartbeats that she was not at all concerned. I asked her about the shot and she said I absolutely did not need it since J is also RH-. The babies will be RH- and my body will not attack them. I am so glad I waited on the shot. Mt RE is having me come in on Monday for another u/s to make sure everything is still moving along as it should. This is just all so scary. I wish I had my own home u/s machine. I think I am going to order a doppaar so it will be here by the time I can actually hear something.

9 weeks

I can't complain. I have had very mild symptoms. Only mild nausea and no vomiting (except when I brush my teeth, which has become very unpleasant). The past few days my gag reflex has been on the top of its game. Just someone mentioning something gross is enough to make me gag. J and I went the other day and bought me some more maternity pants. I only had 2 pair which I was wearing everyday. My belly is getting huge for 9 weeks! I can't even come close to buttoning my old pants and I hate the bella band. It will not stay in place. So I resigned to wearing full panel maternity pants and I may never go back. They are so comfy. No buttons, no zippers - Heaven! I have only gained maybe 2 lbs even though I have been eating like crazy. Its starting to feel real now. And here is a pic of my belly in all its glory. Ignore the stretch marks on my hips, sadly they have been there for years.

8w1d

I had my 8w1d u/s today. Both babies look perfect. They are both measuring 8 weeks exactly with heart rates of 173 and 165. I am so glad the one that was measuring behind caught up. I was worried about that one. I have to go back to my RE one more time at 11w1d and then I will officially graduate. He is going to set me up with an ob who is experienced with multiples. Here are 2 pf the pics from today. I got like 20 pics to bring home. I love my nurse. She printed out everything!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The good: No spotting! That makes me feel good. I am also still incredibly bloated so much so that I have been wearing maternity pants for a week now. My regular pants fit in the mornings, but by the end of the day I can't breathe. I want to wear maternity pants forever. They are so comfy!

The bad: My boobs have completely stopped hurting and growing, which worries me. I have spent countless hours googling loss of breast soreness and most of the responses say its perfectly normal, but there is always that one response that says "My boobs stopped hurting, then I miscarried" So I of course focus on that. I am really terrified of my u/s on Monday. I just want both babies the be healthy and growing.

The ugly: My tummy is covered with black hairs. It has always been covered with blonde peach fuzz, but the past couple of days I have noticed it turn black and get really long and think. Its disgusting. I even noticed some of the blonde hairs on my face are turning black. Nasty. I plucked out a patch underneath each eye yesterday. It hurt like hell! So now part of my morning routine is to carefully examine my face for stray black hairs.

And I am late on posting this but here is a 7 week belly shot:

Today's irrational freakout

I have not had any nausea at all. Therefore in my head, something must be wrong. Most pregnant woman get sick at some point especially with multiples. My sore boobs also come and go and when they don't hurt I freak out even more. I seriously cannot relax. Its driving me insane. I need a chill pill, for realz.

Some Pictures

The babes at 6w1d









6w1d Belly. I have a feeling I am going to be huge.