Another week bites the dust! (36 wks)

Another week bites the dust!

I'm at 36 weeks! Very exciting. Goal #2 is completed and my next goal is 37 weeks (full-term). I've been seeing a chiropractor who is trained in the Webster Technique for turning babies. Since Baby B, aka Malia, is transverse and lying horizontally under my ribs, I decided I'll give it a try and hopefully she will turn head down. As long as Baby A, aka Michael, stays head down and everyone looks healthy we will go ahead with a vaginal delivery. The risks come once he is out. Will Malia turn head down? Will she be delivered breech? Will she need to come out via c-section? These are all the unknowns that will occur in the moments after Michael is born. The path with the least risk is if she is head down. She may turn on her own once there is more room, but I'd love for her to turn before labor even begins. Hence the chiropractor appointments. Even if I don't get the outcome I want, these appointments have made me feel better and sleep better.

Malia is measuring at 7 pounds and Michael is measuring at 6 pounds! I'm also starting a countdown until my maternity leave begins. My last day of work before maternity leave is Nov 19th. Since I have one more vacation day, that means only 9 more work days until my leave begins! I really should call the short term disability company to make sure my countdown is correct. How disappointing would that be if I had to add 5 more days?

In other good news, my doctor agreed to be on call for me and I have his direct phone number. He only asks that I not go into labor while he is enjoying his mother's thanksgiving dinner. I told him I'd try my best.

Pop-Up Timer

Depending on where the babies are positioned, my belly button pops out a little. It's only about a 20% popout. Nothing obvious; it doesn't pop out from underneath a shirt. Anyway, it's just another indicator of how far along we are. I'm not grossed out by outtie belly buttons; my little sister has always had an outtie belly button. I think it's interesting to see the changes in my body and the belly button is a really good one to watch.

34.5 Weeks

We had the baby shower two weeks ago and it went really well. I was overwhelmed with all the love for us and these babies. It made everything feel very real. We installed the car seats in the car, so we are ready for the trip home whenever that time comes.

Mom, Grandma D., and me. We can do a "four generations" picture when the babies are out.

Natalie, Shelly, and I

The baby site says that the babies are each about the size of a cantaloupe right now. The latest measurement from the doctors are 4.5 and 4.75 pounds. My total weight gain so far is 34 pounds. So 10 pounds of babies and 22 pounds of other stuff; I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Only 2 pounds for me. I'm not trying to watch this, but it's interesting to see. They warned I could gain 55 pounds with twins. If these two weren't such picky eaters or avid rejecters of food, I'm sure I would be gaining more.


Weeks Down: 34.5 weeks
Days Left: 40 days (to 40 wk mark)
A truer "Days Left" would be 26 which gets me to 38 wks.
Percentage completed: 86%
Weight Gained: 34 pounds
Waist Size: 46"

32 weeks

We have reached 32 weeks. Crazy how time flies! We had another 3D ultrasound and it was quite funny how crowded it is in the womb. Limbs everywhere! The stats we received from the ultrasound were different from what the baby website says. The ultrasound and measurements said she is 4 pounds and he is 4.5 pounds. The baby website thinks they are about 3.75 pounds each. Our multiple class said twins grow faster since they usually have less time in the womb, so I'll believe the ultrasound estimate. 8.5 pounds of babies is what it feels like to me, so it must be true!

The babies are suppose to have toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). We didn't see any hair in the ultrasound, but I'm not sure if that would be visible.

The size reference this week is a jicama, but I don't like that. So I'm going with a different site's refernce for this week. The babies from head to toe are about the length across the front tire of a big wheel (16" - 18").

Here are two of the pictures from the 3D ultrasound. It was quite a challenge to get face pictures, since his butt is pressed up against her face. He has his arms and legs in front of his face. She peeked at us with an eye during the ultrasound and he cracked a smile. These kids are cracking us up already. I think they have Jason's eyes. Jason said they both have little button noses. Their lips look pretty big compared to ours, but we'll wait and see how they look when they are born. This was such an amazing experience and I recommend it to everyone (Ultrasona Columbus). I love technology.

Hello Goodbye, Hello Goodbye...

I don't mean to brag, but I had very nice feet before pregnancy.

Now my feet look crazy big. I am drinking lots of fluids to keep the swelling down. I really think it's because I can't elevate my feet very much at work. I have a box to put them up, but I don't think that's enough. I'm going to bring this up at the next doctor's visit.

The before picture was after we did Henna tattoos at Jenna's bridal shower. The after picture made me realize I need to get another pedicure very soon.

31 Weeks

It's getting harder and harder to feel like a normal human being. My belly is very large and heavy and I get dizzy if I stand too long. This is not cause for concern, it is common for pregnant women and my doctor isn't worried. He says to not stand for long periods of time. My last belly measurement was the size of a 36 week pregnant woman, and I was only at 30 weeks!



After sitting and standing at work for 11 hours (including driving time) all I want to do when I get home is lie down on my side to relieve my body from the weight of my belly. I read that 22 pounds is gained on the average pregnant woman and that is not even baby. So 22 pounds of other stuff and 3-4 pounds for each baby. I'm toting around an extra 30 pounds nowadays. No wonder I move so slow. When the weekend gets here, I try to take it easy. I only plan one or two outings each weekend, in order to get enough rest for the upcoming work week.



I'm not complaining, Jason and I are very lucky. We are experiencing a very healthy pregnancy and we are lucky to even be pregnant at all. It's easy to let the memories of the emotions, drugs, and tests we went through to get to where we are today fade into the background.



I forget that I can't do the things I used to. The garden/flower beds show neglect and the household cleaning chores pile up quicker than I like. Jason has been wonderful helping out where I slack. He's definitely doing more than his share of maintaining the household. Plus, Jason is starting up classes again. So far his workload is manageable, but who knows how the rest of the quarter will be.

What time is it?

We finally installed the clock we have been meaning to put on the wall for a long time. It looks great. Don't worry - Jason did all the work. We have a couple more numbers to put up, but we'll do that later.

30 Weeks

We are now at 30 weeks. Our babies are approximately 15.7 inches long and weigh about 3 pounds each (like heads of cabbage). They have their mom's eyesight (20/400) but luckily it continues to develop after they are born. Hopefully they will end up with their dad's perfect vision when fully developed.

We finally hired a doula for the birth. We have met with her and are very happy to have her on our team. You may be wondering, "What is a doula?" A doula is a professional labor assistant who attends your birth. She will also be our advocate at the hospital. She will help Jason and me during the entire process. And with two babies, the extra set of hands will be very helpful.

People are funny - 29 weeks

At 29 weeks, the food that used for comparing baby size is butternut squash. Very appropriate for fall. The belly is getting very heavy and I can only lay on my side. At the last ultrasound and I had to reposition because I get dizzy if I'm on my back too long. (That's what she said!)

People are very funny when they notice I'm pregnant. I've had multiple conversations like this:
When are you due? Around Thanksgiving.
Sometimes followed by a look that I interpret as "But, you are so big!"
That's exciting. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl? It's both.
What? You are having twins? Yes, it's twins.
That's perfect; a boy and a girl. You won't need to have anymore children.
That's the comment that I love the most. As if you must have a boy and a girl to have a "complete" family. I seriously laugh at this every time. It's funny that this conversation happens so much. I'm sure I've said something just as crazy to people in the past.

The babies measure about 10.4 inches (26.4cm) from crown to rump, or a total length of about 16.7 inches (42.4cm) from head to toe, and each weigh about 2.7 pounds (1.2kg). At this stage, their eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the uterine wall. The babies are performing fewer acrobatics as conditions in the womb become more cramped, but still doing a lot of kicking and stretching. These two stretch all the time.

Week 28 - Glucose Test

I passed, scored a 135 and you have to have lower than 140 to pass for them. Although I do have low iron. I'll have to adjust my diet for that, but it's much easier than adjusting for diabetes.

Anyway, the test was much easier to go through than I thought. It was 10oz of fruit punch flavored drink. I finished it in less than a minute. It tasted like the little hugs drinks that my parents brought to the pool in the summer. Then I waited for the doc t

o show up, saw the babies, heard their heartbeats, and then headed over to the hospital to have some blood drawn.

The boy is head down and the girl has her head in my ribs - which explains all the rib pain I've been having on that side. Everyone was moving and dancing during the ultrasound. At first, you may think that it's because of the sugar drink, but I read that it takes 2 hours for what you digest to get to the babies. So that's just how they are - super active. I only gained 3 pounds over these last three weeks. My next appointment is in two weeks. I'm not sure when they bump it up to every week appointments. But, I'm getting closer and closer to the full term hump. I'll be considered full term in 8 weeks. Yikes!

The baby shower is scheduled for Oct 16th - let me know if you haven't received an invitation by the end of the month. I may have forgotten to put you on the list. Pregnancy brain!

We have eggplants - 27 weeks

For week 27, the comparison food is eggplant. I love eggplant, but to imagine two eggplants in my belly is crazy. It makes sense considering how fast I'm growing, but it's still crazy. I'm starting to see the movement just by looking at my bare stomach. The babies are preparing me for sleepless nights already, so if I'm a little cranky that's why. Please forgive me if you get the brunt of my sleepless nights.

Nursery Painted

The nursery is painted. I didn't help that much, mostly supervised.

Thanks to Jami and Mom and Dad Duffy for helping us finish the job. We would not have completed this in one weekend if it weren't for them.

So many colors!

Finished room.

It looks so good!

26 Weeks

I will try to do these updates more often since I'm past the halfway point.

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Weeks Down: 26 weeks

Days Left: 97 days

Percentage completed: 65%

Weight Gained: 23 pounds

Waist Size: 46"

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I'm feeling action all the time from these kids. I'm also feeling heartburn! I haven't seen much, but other people can feel the kicks and movement. Sleeping is getting tricky as the belly expands. I forget to physically move my belly when I flip over at night. This weekend's chore is painting the nursery. Once that is complete and we start setting things up, I think I will realize that we are close to the end. Right now I feel like we have plenty of time.

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Also - I wanted to give a shout out to all of those wonderful friends that have given us baby stuff. We are so fortunate to have you all in our lives and we truly appreciate your generosity (and the babes will too).

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Here is some generic stuff for people at 26 weeks: Your baby measures about 9.2 inches from crown to rump and weighs almost 2 pounds now. Its hearing is fully developed. As the fetus reacts to sounds, its pulse increases. Your baby will even move in rhythm to music. Lungs are still growing but are not yet mature. Patterns of your baby's brain waves appear like a full-term newborn. It also has patterns of sleeping and waking.

Funny Pic - How are twins made?

I saw this online with the header

"Scientists discover how twins are made."

Living Room Painted!

Here's a before picture from our first christmas in the house.

Five years later, we had the living room painted.

The kitchen was painted last year.

The hallway and the stairwells are painted now, too.

Here is the belly shot for those of you who are interested. 22 weeks along and my belly button is almost flat. Next painting job - the babies' room. Here is my inspiration picture.

The theme is: Colors!

Halfway to the finish line!

I'm halfway through the pregnancy, but it really doesn't feel like I'm halfway. I am starting to feel more than just gas bubbles as baby movements. I have another ultrasound coming up, so hopefully I can post another picture soon. The babies have their fingerprints forming and are about 9 ounces each.

This week, the babies are about the size of a banana.

According to this the manly baby size week-by-week list, the babies are about the size of a nice pair of boobs.

I had to put this in, it made me laugh out loud.

Summer Concerts

Jason has two more outdoor concerts before he takes a small break from the brass band. These are fun concerts with cartoon themed music (and costumes). If you can, check one out.

July 25th 6pm - 8pm

Central College Presbyterian Church

975 S. Sunbury Rd

Westerville

July 30th 7pm - 8:30pm

Northwest Library

2280 Hard Road

Bring some chairs and a picnic - make an evening of it!

Love ya Norman!

Natalie gave me some bad news today. Norman had to be put down and she's now in doggie heaven. She was a wonderful dog and I'll miss her underbite smile.
Love ya Normie!

Sippy Cup

You know how kids really want a drink but they still throw their sippy cup on the ground? They don't realize that what they want is right there they just need some time to get it. Well, that's what my kids seem to do. They really want some food, but they end up throwing it out. If they would just wait, they could see that this is wonderful nutritious stuff that just takes a little time to get.

Eli turns 1

We went to Eli's birthday party this weekend. It's hard to believe he's one year old.

I don't know if Eli asked for this present, but there is no turning back now!
Jenna and Keith are expecting their second child in March 2011.