December 23, 2017

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 32



How far along? 32 weeks (Dec 16-22nd) - My belly was measuring the size of a 39 week singleton pregnancy on Tuesday.  

How much weight have you gained?  36ish lb - babies should be putting on 1/2 lb per week each!
          
Any cravings? Just so thirsty all the time! And maybe a little bit of citrus... Grapefruits and halos have been on the snack list this week. 

What are you wearing? Not much. The same couple things are in rotation now. The looser the better! My leggings are getting stretched out and I think I'm ruining all my shirts because my belly is always oiled up like a greased pig. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms?  Week 32 has been pretty good to me. I'm tired and slow to get around, but overall have been feeling a little bit better than other weeks. It's actually concerning when that happens... 

I have had some acid reflux/indigestion (what's the difference?), which is pretty normal at this stage of pregnancy.  

Stretch marks? Still only the 1 that I can see. It's grown a little. My skin feels soooo tight, I'm guessing there are more to come. I also heard about "twin skin" recently, and though I did see one picture along with the description I have refrained from doing a google image search, which would only depress me I'm sure. 

Belly button in or out? Out and a little sore at this point. 

Sleep? Pretty good this week! 

Best moment this week:  We've been soaking in the holiday spirit. We drove through a beautiful luminary lined neighborhood over the weekend. We've indulged in hot chocolate and baked goods from our neighbors. Had a movie night with popcorn and all! Basically, we've finally been able to slow down in the evenings a little bit.  

Worst moment this week:  Our doctor told us that baby B is in one of the least favorable positions (transverse) for a vaginal birth. She recently had to do a vaginal birth c-section combo (only her 2nd in about 10 years) for a mom who had babies in a similar position, so I think she's a little gun shy. Her recommendation at this point is to schedule a c-section at 38 weeks. Which we did. Just to hold the spot we want if we need it - but we can always cancel it. But she said the choice was ultimately ours if we want to try vaginally. And of course things can change up until due day depending on how the babies move. There's not a ton of room in there, but I'm hoping for the best case scenario of 2 vertex babies by the end. 

Despite the bad news, I liked our doctor a more this appointment than I have in the past. It was more of a conversation and wasn't her just telling us her plan. I've always LIKED her... But everyone else I talk to LOOOOOVES her. Someone even recently told me that she walks on water!

We've been taking our c-section research more seriously since that appointment, and every time I read about them I start weeping. Parts of them sound so scary! Especially the part where I don't have anyone (Tyler) with me while getting prepped and numbed. 

Also, on Wednesday we woke up to the door frame into our laundry room dripping water... I was worried it was a sign that MY water would be breaking soon too. Luckily that hasn't happened. The leak was fixed later that day as well. Our doctor is off until January 8th, so no babies before then!!!

Miss anything? Snow! We moved to a "snowy" place, but it wasn't until this week on the first day of Winter than we got our first DUSTING. And there's very little if any other moisture in the forecast. 

Movement? Lots of movement the past few days. Sunday and Monday seemed to be slow days for the girls, and I was almost worried, but when I layed down to really concentrate on their movements there were plenty. Just not as much rollicking as normal. They've since resumed their normal activity - which I must admit is becoming occasionally painful!

Excited for anything? Christmas!! Need I say more?

How’s dad-to-be? "Eating way too much sugar," he says. Also excited for these babies. And probably excited for me to stop pestering him to do things for me.

How's sister-to-be? Becoming more independent! Which is something we're actively working on. We've been trying to encourage her to try to get dressed by herself and put on her socks and shoes. Two things that will be super helpful once we have two more incompetent humans to care for. She's able to do her underwear and pants most of the time, but her big ol' noggin makes shirts pretty challenging. She has been very helpful in other ways too... She puts her dirty clothes in the hamper and cleans up her dinner plate. This week she's also mastered all the door nobs in our house,  so that's a new interesting twist!

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December 15, 2017

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 31



How far along? 31 weeks (Dec 9-15)

How much weight have you gained?  33 lb
          
Any cravings? No. But I need to be eating more greens. It has not been a very healthy week. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms?  Contractions! of the Braxton Hicks variety. I've been getting them here or there for a while, but on Tuesday I started getting them practically every time I stood up or tried to do any sort of physical activity, like put on pants. They continued through Wednesday and finally on Thursday I called the doc just to make sure they weren't anything to worry about. It was her day off, so I think her medical assistant wanted to error on the side of caution and sent us in to L&D for monitoring. All was okay except I felt like I was going to faint after being on my back while they attached the monitors. The girls' results were good and I wasn't contracting too much (which I knew would happen because they only come when I'm active, not laying uncomfortably on my side in a hospital bed). Basically, they prescribed couch potato rest for me whenever possible to keep the contractions at a minimum. We have an ultrasound next Tuesday and we should see if they've had any effect on my cervix at that point.  

Stretch marks? Still the 1 possibly...?

Belly button in or out? Out 

Sleep? Some good, some terrible. It's getting so difficult to roll over and I've been SO thirsty at night. If I'm facing the wrong way, I have to seriously contemplate whether it is worth it to roll over and drink some water. Last night though, Tyler filled up our Camelback bladder (you know the hiking ones with the tube to drink out of) and put it between our pillows, so when I was facing away from my water I had the tube to drink out of. It was great!!

Best moment this week:  Had a good weekend with Hazel and the in-laws and felt pretty good the whole time. Of course, it was nice having Tyler back home and we didn't have as many evening plans this week, so we got to hang out as a family a little more trying to relax.

Worst moment this week:  Laying on that dang table for the non-stress test. Almost every part of me hurt trying to stay still that long. 

Miss anything? Doing things! There's so much staring me in the face that I want to get done, but I am actively trying to ignore and NOT DO. I should not mop the floor, I should not assemble the stroller, I should not move the big box on the porch into the house - but I really want to. Argh! 

Movement? The hiccups are picking up pace. And yes, there's tons of other movement too. It's like my belly skin is getting thinner and thinner and I can fell more and more. 

Excited for anything? A weekend with very little planned! We have our hospital tour and maybe a Luminaria stroll (or drive - depending how I feel). But other than that it's just going to be the 3 of us hanging out trying to get some R&R. (And probably cleaning and nesting too - because we CAN'T STOP doing things no matter how hard we try.)

How’s dad-to-be? Stressed. He's got a lot going on between work and home, and more and more of the home to-dos are landing on his plate as I try to slow down and do less. 

How's sister-to-be? She's adorable, but exhausting. Pushing boundaries a little bit. But also so much fun. I've been looking back at videos of her in the last year and she has grown, matured, and changed SO MUCH in the last year. She started 2017 with her baby cheeks, baby belly, and 1 word sentences and now she is firmly looking and acting like a kid. She is so smart and conversational and I am so amazed by her. I know she's going to seem even bigger when these babies get here, but they are going to be so lucky to have her as a big sister. I'm really hoping we've been preparing her sufficiently for their arrival, but I don't really think we've done enough. 

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December 13, 2017

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 30


This was written on time, but the oh-so-flattering picture was late (although this is better than you'd get if you showed up at our house unannounced - there'd be a lot more belly than that hanging out).

How far along? 30 weeks (Dec 2-8)

How much weight have you gained?  30 lb!! Yay! 
          
Any cravings? No cravings this week, but it was the last day of my Master Gardener class on Tuesday, and we did a potluck, so I got to feast on everything. And everything was good. I'm not finding much lately that I don't like. I've even eaten some olives, which I don't normally go for. 

What are you wearing? Pretty much anything when I'm around the house. I save the shirts that actually cover my stomach for outings but around the house it's normally just hanging out the bottom of whatever shirt I'm wearing. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms? It's definitely been a better week this week. We've been busy so I've been pretty tired still. The aches and pains are hanging around, but taking this new normal into consideration it's been a decent week.

Stretch marks? I think at least one is starting...

Belly button in or out? Out as always

Sleep? Has been okay. I wake up parched with a super dry nose even though we have a humidifier going full blast in our room - so that's annoying.

Best moment this week:  I think it was Saturday. We went out to cut down our Christmas tree from the forest and it was pretty idyllic. The weather was nice, the drive was pretty, the forest wasn't too crowded, and it was fun to meander around looking for the perfect tree. After we found it, we continued exploring the area and found some really great views (where my picture for the last post was taken). It was a fun day all-around. And it was so cozy and festive to get our decorations up. I sat in a chair and prepped ornaments with hooks while Tyler and Hazel hung them on the tree. Hazel kept trying to hang all of hers on the same branch because they were all friends, and some were married too. 

We also had a Dr. apt. on Monday and I'm always a little nervous for them, but all was good news. The girls are going fine and my cervix seems to be holding strong. I go back in at 32 weeks for the next growth scan and start going twice a week, every week from there on out. I also preregistered at the hospital this week and everyone I talked to was super nice. 

I also organized a meet-up with some other area twin moms, which was fun! I'm excited to have some people to talk to who are going through this same twin journey.  

Worst moment this week:  Preparing for Tyler to go out of town (Mentally. I didn't do anything physically, let's be real). I get nervous any time our family is separated, especially by great distances. And even extra when I'm super pregnant. But his parents are coming to hang out with me over the 1-2 days he is gone, so that will be nice! And he'll get to see my family while he is gone too!

Miss anything?  Time. I just feel like it's going soooooo fast. And the ability to breathe. I don't like having squished lungs. 

Movement? So much. Still a LOT at night. Sometimes it's even painful. They've also been getting the hiccups on occasion which reminds me of Hazel's pregnancy.  

Excited for anything? Looking forward to our CPR class and hospital tour next weekend. I feel like those are the last things I really want to do to feel prepared. Speaking of prepared, we got our third car seat this week and made sure they all fit. They did! Barely! And I started packing my hospital bag. So far there's flip-flops, lanolin, and chap stick... you know, the essentials. 

How’s dad-to-be? He took a dad bootcamp class through the hospital which was basically 'How to Take Care of a Baby 101," which is something he didn't get to do the first time around, but definitely felt like it should have been a bigger part of the class we did take. He even got a dad medal of honor token. 

How's sister-to-be? So full of energy. I wish I had even half her energy.





 ha ha ha! I know these are really awkward! :)






{  "Let's be unicorns!"  }


{  oh gosh.  }


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December 3, 2017

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 29

{  A day late taking this photo, so I'm technically first da of week 30 here. And this beautiful adventure will be relayed in the 30 week post.  } 


How far along? 29 weeks 

How much weight have you gained?  Around 28 lbs I think!!
          
Any cravings? I would like pickles, cream cheese and salami rolls. Something my family has served frequently at holiday get togethers for a long time. 

What are you wearing? PJs as much as possible. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms? Emotional. Uncomfortable. I think I have SPD. Sitting for long periods has become a little painful. I just want to lay on my side like a whale all the time. It's crazy how much a weeks difference can be, and now that the babies are supposed to be gaining about a half pound per week, I think I'll be in a downward spiral of uncomfortable the rest of this pregnancy. Also, I've been pretty good about not complaining too much up until this week. Tyler has had to hear aaaaaall about my aches and woes this week.

Stretch marks? Still can't tell, but maybe.  

Belly button in or out? Out. 

Sleep? I've actually been sleeping a little better this week. I've been waking up at least once a night still, but I've been able to fall back to sleep pretty quickly. 

Best moment this week:  Monday we spent in Phoenix, got to see one of Tyler's highschool friends, and spent most of the day going to the baby stores.  Even though it was exhausting, everything seemed to go our way that day. We finally got to test out all the strollers we'd been eyeing and picked one out to order (that wasn't the most expensive one, yay!). We got a few more essentials and made an Ikea run (Hazel peed in the Ikea play place and picking her up was funny because they were treating her like she was radioactive or something). I'm feeling pretty prepared now as long as our car seat test goes well and the ones we decided to use actually fit!

Also, Friday we had our company holiday party which was fun. Yummy food (like a second Thanksgiving) and Hazel got to see Santa! 

Worst moment this week:  Oh man, it was rough. I cried a lot this week. Like Tuesday I cried pretty much all day and I don't even know why. Getting home after over-doing it on vacation, an uncomfortable road trip, and extreme shopping excursion and trying to jump directly back into the routine might not have been the best decision. There wasn't quite as much crying the rest of the week, but definitely a fair share of it. We also received some heartbreaking news which was definitely a contributor. 

Miss anything?  I feel like I can't do anything. I barely have the energy to complete one house project at a time, like a load of laundry, but there's so much I want to do! I can start a project with gusto, but I'm barely able to finish one. I am constantly having to ask Tyler to move boxes or decorations or baby gear around the house, carry things upstairs, or finish a chore once I just can't be on my feet anymore. I feel like I'm constantly pestering him to do things and I'm no help.

Movement? Lots of slow sweeping movements. Not as many sharp pokes and kicks. I think they are practicing some interpretive dancing in there. It's mostly felt like they are still both head up (There's been a head just left of my belly button for like 2 weeks now), but I'm hoping some of these sweeping feelings are them trying to turn. 

Excited for anything? Holiday cheer! Lights are going up all over the neighborhood and town and Hazel is having so much fun already. We will be getting our tree and decorations up this weekend. Now we just need some snow!

How’s dad-to-be? Getting sick again! He caught Hazel's cold before our Thanksgiving trip and was just getting better, but now he's coming down with something else. On top of getting back to work, listening to me complain, and picking up all my slack - He's a saint!

How's sister-to-be? So excited for Christmas! And so conversational. She's such a big kid now. 

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Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 28


This post should have been published 11/24/17. Still catching up.

How far along? 28 weeks 

How much weight have you gained?  Not sure - No scale on vacation!
          
Any cravings? No specific cravings, but we had a DELICIOUS Thanksgiving meal (plus a lot of other yummy food all week. Some great ceviche!) and I had no problem eating a LOT! :)

What are you wearing? Got to wear some shorts and beach clothes while by the beach. Decided not to go for the super pregnant bikini look. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms? Pretty good, but doing lots of walking. My feet swelled up a couple evenings this week. Also, feeling tightness in my belly when I overdo it. Thanksgiving evening I was feeling stuffed with food and exhausted from being on my feet a lot that day.

Stretch marks? I can't really tell anymore because I can't even see the lower half of my belly. 

Belly button in or out? Still out. Not flattening out as I was expecting it to though. 

Sleep? Some days good, some days bad. Nice to have the white noise of the ocean though!

Best moment this week:  It's been a fun week in general!

Worst moment this week:  Definitely finding out some very sad news from a friend. They've been on my mind non-stop. Also, the road trip. Although it wasn't horrible, it still was not comfortable. 

Miss anything?  Speed. I felt so slow all week. We mostly walked everywhere and I was definitely the turtle at the end of the pack. 

Movement? A couple days I wasn't noticing much movement, which almost worried us, but I think we were just so active, it was a lot harder to notice them. But some nights they were still moving around like crazy,  so we're good!

Excited for anything? Being a hermit. This vacation was our last major plan before the babies arrive. We get to go home and hopefully just stay home and rest (although that never ends up actually happening). I'm excited to take down our Halloween decorations (never switched them out for Thanksgiving) and put up the Christmas ones. Holiday decorating is a nice nesting outlet. Also, I'm super excited to go pick out our Christmas tree from the forest this year!

How’s dad-to-be? Good. Still trying to feed me. He was also a lot more worried about the days of low movement than I was. He loves to be by the ocean.

How's sister-to-be? LOVING the beach. She calls it the giant sandbox and could stay there all day long. She's having so much fun with her aunts and cousins. Doesn't seem to mind sharing the attention with baby Zach, but I think things might be different when her sisters arrive. Also, she held baby Zach for the first time this trip and did a great job! She asked why his fingernails weren't painted though. 

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Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 27

We were planning for our road trip and packing, so we forgot to take a 27 week picture. This post should have been published 11/17/17. Just catching up.

How far along? 27 weeks (I filled some of this in on time, but not all of it - so some questions I don't remember.)

How much weight have you gained?  22ish lbs maybe? 
          
Any cravings? Not really. :(

What are you wearing? The loosest clothing possible. 

How are you feeling? Symptoms? My skin is maybe getting better... I didn't mention it before because it started so early in this pregnancy but my body has been breaking out like crazy.

Stretch marks? No

Belly button in or out? Out

Sleep? Is getting a little bit better again. 

Best moment this week:  I don't remember exactly because it ended up being a pretty rough week. 

Worst moment this week:  Hazel got sick this week with croup. Normally, that's something that doesn't require a doctor's visit even though it sounds awful, but Sunday as we did nothing but watch Max the Train while lounging on the couch she started struggling more and more to breathe so we felt that we needed to take her in. While Tyler was calling Urgent Care, I phoned our pediatrician's office just to see what their message/nurse line said and they were OPEN (On a SUNDAY!) and told us to come right in. After an epinephrine breathing treatment and a steroid shot, she was able to breath much easier. It was rough and I didn't think about the two babes in my stomach pretty much that whole day because I was so focused on my sick kid. It made me realize how tough it's going to be splitting our attention between three kiddos. I'm worried about it!

Miss anything?  I miss having the brain space to think of something other than these babies... they are all-consuming. 

Movement? Still nocturnal partying

Excited for anything? Going to Thanksgiving in San Diego!

How’s dad-to-be? Also excited for Thanksgiving and a little beach time before these babies get here. 

How's sister-to-be? Feeling much better than earlier this week! A lingering cough is about all that is left.

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November 10, 2017

Pregnancy 2 - Weekly Update: 26



How far along? 26 weeks

How much weight have you gained?  23 lbs  
          
Any cravings? I've been thirsty! And eating way too much sugar. Darn you, Halloween candy!

What are you wearing? I've caught glimpses of myself in the mirror a couple of times and noticed my belly hanging out!! Ooops!

How are you feeling? Symptoms? I am much more uncomfortable this week. As I was doing chores around the house, things were just harder. Bending over to grab things, picking up Hazel... lots of pregnancy groaning around here. My lower back has been very stiff as well, I've been intentionally trying to wiggle my hips when I walk because otherwise I feel like my lower back doesn't move. 

Stretch marks? No, and my skin is less itchy than it was earlier on.  Shout out to my favorite moisturizer that I used all last pregnancy, then on Hazel, and now again this pregnancy. Shea Moisture Baby Eczema Therapy

Belly button in or out? Out. and starting to flatten out a little bit... maybe. I might not have a belly button left by the end of this pregnancy.

Sleep? I wake up at least once a night. 

Best moment this week:  I got a lot accomplished. I did some sewing projects, quite a bit of cleaning and baby clothes organizing. Washed and prepped our cloth diapers and got some new smaller sized ones to add to our stash. You know I must be nesting when you hear the word "laundry" in part of an answer to the best part of my week. 

Worst moment this week: I've been a little stressed out. I feel like we still have a lot to accomplish and figure out before these babies get here and it seems like it's really coming up fast.

Miss anything?  I haven't been as strict about following the rules for food this time. If I miss something like blue cheese, I'll eat it. 

Movement? I'm really feeling them a LOT this week. Not just the big movements, but all the little ones it seems too.  

Excited for anything? Getting very excited for Thanksgiving. We are supposed to be heading to San Diego next weekend as long as health cooperates. Doc appointment on Monday to make sure all is still looking good. 

How’s dad-to-be? Reading a lot about twins. 

How's sister-to-be? She got to feel the babies move last night! She was singing, "If [you're happy and] you know it, shout hooray," very loudly and they were really moving like crazy, so I had her come over and she got a solid kick to the hand. She was very excited. I also think she's having a tough time adjusting. I've been getting out all the baby stuff that used to be hers and talking about her little sisters a lot and I think it's making her feel a little jealous/sad. Not really sure. I've gotten some good cuddles out of her though because she likes me to hold her on my lap like a baby again. 

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November 4, 2017

Hazeldotes 8-10

8. She always looks for Momma, Daddy, and Hazel versions of everything. It works really well if there's 3 of something, but even if we find one lizard she'll ask, "But where's his Hazel?"

9. "Activities!" Hazel says it daily, imitating her school teachers when they explain the different activity stations for the day. She'll tell us a bunch of options, which frequently turn into gibberish and we're not supposed to start until she says, "Okie-pokie!"

10. She's been picking up some phrases that we're not huge fans of. "What the Heck?!" she'll say when she's worked up and trying to be funny because the first time it happened nobody could contain their laughter, so now she thinks she's hilarious. Also, "Oh. My. God." is a new one this past week or so that I think she picked up from a friend at school, because she says it like Janice from Friends. Quite dramatic.





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