January 26, 2018

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 37



How far along? 37 weeks (Jan 20 - 26)

How much weight have you gained?  42 lbs
          
Any cravings? We tried the picadilly! I ordered it through our local facebook swap and sell group, then we drove in the dark to the mobile home neighborhood where they were selling (hoping we found the right place), and they brought our order out to the car! It was mildly sketchy, but I would do it again! Although, I would opt for a regular snow cone next time... I ordered blue raspberry snow cone  with pickles and cherry koolaid powder on top. It was edible, and I could see how it could grow on you and might just be an acquired taste, but I don't think I'll order it again. I liked Hazel's plain banana snow cone more. 

Other kinda-cravings have been pop tarts, shrimp, and red meat. Although really, I still don't have much of an appetite.


What are you wearing? Same stuff. But I'm so close to being able to wear some of my old clothes again! 

How are you feeling? Symptoms?   Very over it. I've mostly just been laying around to stay comfortable, but now we are ready for these babies to come out so yesterday I did some shopping in order to walk around more, and now I'm incredible sore.  

I've also been very itchy since around Christmas, but didn't think too much of it. Yesterday, however, I heard about cholestasis of pregnancy and the symptoms matched my itchiness exactly. I talked to my doctor about it today, and she's not worried, and the itchiness will go away once I'm not pregnant anymore. 

And more CONTRACTIONS! Some are pretty crampy feeling, but they're still not regular. But hopefully they are being at least a little bit productive.

Stretch marks? My lower belly has plenty of them now. 

Belly button in or out? Out.

Sleep? Sleep has been rough. As baby A moves down, I have to pee more frequently which means waking up a LOT! Also, I've been waking up hungry and sometimes needing to snack in the wee hours of the morning. 

Best moment this week:  Baby A flipped again and is head down! Our appointment on Tuesday was a roller coaster. I took the news of her being vertex as good news, but also meaning that once again I would have to DECIDE what course to take. However, we talked to our doctor and she was feeling positive about a vaginal birth, especially after Baby B had proved her mobility in the past few weeks. She is still transverse and moving around in there, but at least on Tuesday, she was slightly tipped into a head down position. So we are keeping our appointment Monday morning, but there's a good chance that it will be an induction instead of a c-section. Our doc also went over her method for induction and it is very slow and gentle and I was very pleased with the whole thing!

Also, my in-laws have been coming into town the past few weekends and my parents got into town this week. It's so nice to have the support of our families - everything I keep reading says we're going to need it!

Worst moment this week:  Waiting! I've been waiting and so has everyone else. At the end of pregnancy, it feels like everyone is just watching you and waiting for you to suddenly explode with babies. I've had some progress, but nothing seems imminent. 

Miss anything? Sleep. I'd love to go into this adventure well rested, but I just haven't been able to get long enough stretches of sleep to feel caught up.  

Movement? Plenty of movements. Baby A gets hiccups more frequently than Baby B, but I feel Baby B's head and rump pressing out against my upper abdomen almost constantly. 

Excited for anything? Babies! I just want to meet them. 

How’s dad-to-be?  Ready! 

How's sister-to-be?  Having so much fun with all her grandparents visiting. I'm glad she's able to get some special attention now. It seems she understands that the babies will be here very soon, and seems to be excited. Still crossing my fingers that this transition goes well for her. 

{  The Picadilly  }


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January 20, 2018

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 36



How far along? 36 weeks (Jan 13 - 19)  - 43 weeks belly size.

How much weight have you gained?  42 lbs
          
Any cravings? So there's a thing that gets posted on our local swap and sell called a Picadilly. It's a snow cone and it has a layer of pickles and then koolaid powder on top. It sounds awful, but also like a pregnant woman came up with it. I guess it's a Texas thing? I've been sooo curious about it. The first time I saw them posted we drove around trying to find the people selling, but had no luck. The get posted a lot but we haven't made it back out for them, so I'm really hoping by the end of the pregnancy I'll be able to give you a Picadilly review!

What are you wearing? :( A sad selection of things. I get so annoyed walking into my closet and seeing plenty of clothes that I can't wear. It's really hard to pick anything out right now that is comfortable and acceptable. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms?   We took a Target trip this week which left me a little more sore than normal. The rib pain has been severe so I've been horizontal most of the week. Also,  so much pee! Laughing, sneezing, and coughing are dangerous, and I'm really glad we have a waterproof mattress cover because I'm not convinced I won't completely pee the bed one night (or have my water break).  Most exciting though, contractions! They haven't been regular but they've been more frequent. Mostly painless but sometimes crampy as well. Maybe signs that we won't have to wait until 38 weeks... 

Stretch marks? Spreading...

Belly button in or out? Out.

Sleep? I've been waking up a LOT. And then every time I try to go back to sleep I have the same annoying dream until I wake up again. It's been exhausting. And why is it that finally when morning rolls around I fall into a cozy sleep at long last only to be woken up by my alarm or family?

Best moment this week:  I think just finally feeling ready. I haven't been completely mentally ready to meet these ladies, but I think I'm finally there. We maybe have our names figured out? Maybe. 

Worst moment this week:  Well, I'm not sure. Overall, I really didn't DO that much that had a chance to go poorly. I guess if anything I've felt a little bit lonely in this pregnancy. I am physically alone at home a lot not really doing anything, and then it's just hard to explain the way this feels physically. Part of me mourns the end of our little family of 3, but I'm also excited for 5. 

Miss anything? I could go for a glass of wine. Which is weird for me. But I blame a podcast that we've been listening to. It's a podcast about a family with twins, but they also love wine so every episode they open a new bottle and talk about it. It's really annoying, but I think it's working on my subconscious. 

Movement? Baby B flipped! Which isn't particularly helpful because she's still sideways, just with her head on the opposite side of my body. But it's good to know she can move around in there because we were thinking maybe she was tangled in her cord which was keeping her in the same position. Baby A is still breech, but I'm not convinced she hasn't done a couple flips in there this week.  They're head to head in there though, which is pretty cute. Fingers crossed they both keep moving and wind up vertex/vertex!

Excited for anything? Full-term babies! 37 weeks marks full-term, so I'm really hoping that will mean that we won't need to spend time in the Special Care Nursery. 

How’s dad-to-be?  He's definitely ready for the babies to be here! People keep scheduling him for things the first few days of February. He even got summoned for jury duty on Feb. 1st which could very well be the day we come home from the hospital if we make it to the 29th. He has tried pushing it back a week, but hasn't gotten confirmation that his request was accepted yet. 

How's sister-to-be?  She has been a handful of a 2 year old this week. School has been wearing her out lately so she's been extra whiny in the evenings. But she has been talking about her sisters more and while I've been getting her ready in the morning, she's been pretending to get her baby sisters ready too. 

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January 16, 2018

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 35

{  Picture taken a couple days late  }


How far along? 35 weeks (Jan 6 - 12)  The average length of a twin pregnancy.

How much weight have you gained?  41ish lbs. 
          
Any cravings? I haven't been craving ice as much anymore. I still enjoy it, but not on the same level. I have started taking an iron supplement, so maybe it really was caused by my iron deficiency. Also, shrimp has been sounding really good to me (which is RARE). I even ordered surf and turf at dinner on our family date the other night. 

What are you wearing? All my pants are getting so tight I'm always worried that they are see through now and try to wear long tunics, but also, when those aren't available I just remind myself that I'm super pregnant and don't care. I figure people in public will give me a pass for now. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms?  Much better! Still some residual cold symptoms, like the cough, which is unfortunate. But still muuuuuch better than the week I had a cold. My belly is sore and possibly bruised from all the coughing, so that still hurts. I still have almost constant rib pain if I'm not laying on my side. Reflux has picked up again this week. 

Stretch marks? Definitely more are developing... 

Belly button in or out? Out.

Sleep? I'm back to hit or miss nights. Some are okay and others less so, but they haven't been terrible. 

Best moment this week:  We finally got SNOW! We also went on a nice family date night, which consisted of going out to dinner someplace new. We also shared things we loved about each other while waiting for our food. Hazel was really excited to be included in a date night. 

Worst moment this week:  We had a disappointing doctor appointment where baby A decided to flip from her nice vertex position into a breech position instead. Baby B was in the same ol' transverse position she always is. If the stay like this, that means a definite c-section. 

Miss anything? I'm ready to have my body back again. Sharing it with 2 other people is wearing. me. out. (Though probably not as much as they're going to wear me out once they are OUT!)

Movement? So much! I have no idea if baby A is still breech or not, but from all the movement I've been feeling this week, I feel like she could have done a few flips and switched positions a few times. 

Excited for anything? Sometimes I forget that we still don't know whether these girls are identical or not. I'm excited for that surprise when they're born (if we can even tell at that point). 

How’s dad-to-be? Feeling good. He's escaped getting sick so far. He's got a good book and a good show that he's watching that has been a nice break for him amidst all his pregnancy responsibilities.  

How's sister-to-be?  She might be getting sick. She's sounding a little congested. I'm still not sure we've prepared her enough for these babies. I keep trying to tell her about the process and how we will be going to the hospital for a few days and family will be staying here with her. And as long as they don't restrict visitors because of the flu, she'll get to come visit the babies. But she pretty much ignores the conversation. So maybe she's in denial? 

She's also started calling out for her dad more than me lately. Makes me feel like a slacker mom, but I also love their relationship and watching the two of them together. 

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January 5, 2018

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 34



How far along? 34 weeks (Dec 30 - Jan 5) - Get ready for the most complain-y angst-y post to date. 

How much weight have you gained?  40ish lbs. 
          
Any cravings? I've had pretty much ZERO appetite this week.  

What are you wearing? My robe and PJs.

How are you feeling? Symptoms?  AWFUL! This week has been miserable. My rib has become an almost constant source of pain (Baby B's butt and feet are over there/in there). These babies are squashing my lungs to the point that it is hard to breathe too. I just sit and wheeze. On top of that, I got a cold. Every time I cough or sneeze, my belly hurts and I almost pee. I have been so tired, but unable to get comfortable enough to do much sleeping. Now, my stomach is SORE, it feels like it's been bruised or I pulled some muscles, or both? Coughing is a horrible experience because it hurts so so much. 

Stretch marks? My belly is soooo unhappy.  There are probably more forming. 

Belly button in or out? Out.

Sleep? Some nights it felt like I didn't get ANY sleep. As my cold symptoms are starting to go away, I'm sleeping better again, but most of the week I was just sleep deprived. As bad as .5 - 1 hour stretches at night.

Best moment this week:  We did score a nice bassinet off of Craigslist for $20 that seems like it might work out really nicely. 

Worst moment this week:  All of it.

Miss anything? Everything.

Movement? Yes, which equals ouch!

Excited for anything? Next week. It's got to be better than this one. Even though the pregnancy pain is most likely here to stay. It's got to be more bearable without the cold. 

How’s dad-to-be? Doing his best to comfort me, even though there's nothing that can be done.

How's sister-to-be?  When I cough she says, "I know you're sick, Mommy." in her sweet little way. She's been very nice checking up on me this week. I think she had a very fun week with her dad and Bammie and Papa K. She got to go skiing and LOVED it and also got to stay up late and celebrate the New Year. 

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Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 33






{  Trying to see my toes  }

How far along? 33 weeks (Dec 23-29th) - I'm writing this late, so I'm sure I am forgetting things. 

How much weight have you gained?  almost 40lbs
          
Any cravings? We ate soooo many cookies!

What are you wearing? The same things over and over pretty much. I've almost grown out of my maternity jeans, so those rarely make an appearance anymore. loose, flowy, and comfortable is the goal.  

How are you feeling? Symptoms?  Pretty good, but also uncomfortable! Just like last time, I'm getting right rib pain.  I'm also a little extra tired from all the extra excitement of Christmas, but things have been going pretty well.   

Stretch marks? It's getting hard to tell if I'm getting more or not.  

Belly button in or out? Out. Looking back on my 1st pregnancy posts, it was still a little in between. Hard to believe how different these pregnancies have been. 

Sleep? Some good, some bad. But soooo dry. We've put TWO humidifiers in our room now, which actually helps some. 1 was useless. 

Best moment this week:  Christmas! We saw family and lights, and ate good food. We had a house full of people and dogs and gift wrap. Hazel had so much fun with everyone around. She thrives when family comes around and she can show off and be the venter of attention. She loves all her new toys and books too.  

Worst moment this week:  By Hazel standards we were probably pretty awesome parents on Christmas and didn't enforce any eating requirements. By parental standards, we pretty much failed. I think she ate cookies all day, and only a few bites of peas before bed. It culminated in a vomiting kid in the middle of the night. She is such a trooper though - no crying or whining about it. We went through a lot of sheets, but she also is old enough to now puke into a bowl instead of anywhere and everywhere. Luckily, it was really just some puking. She was still happy and energetic in between bouts, so we weren't worried about a fever or flu. Just too much sugar. 

Miss anything? I miss my University winter break schedule a little bit. It''s tough going back to the real world right after Christmas.

Movement? I don't feel as much movement in general, but still plenty. 

Excited for anything? These babies' birth month is quickly approaching! We've been doing some last minute preparations, like getting our car seats checked (all is good to go) and some thrift shopping for the girls. 

How’s dad-to-be? Busy as always. Still doing tons around the house.

How's sister-to-be? Feeling much better now! She's been having a blast with her new toys. 

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