4 weeks to go!

4 weeks to go! (As of our last doctor appt on Sept 6th)

Yes people that's what I said!! Let me say it a little louder, WE HAVE 4 WEEKS UNTIL THE BABIES ARRIVE!  I am 33 weeks pregnant this week and feeling every bit of it.  

My swelling has increased in my feet and my face (so please no more pictures).  My right foot seems to now be in competition with my left foot for which can be more swollen.  They don't hurt or anything, they just look like big foot feet.  The pain in my pelvis also has increased and getting up or rolling over or walking or moving is quite painful.  And, like always there are many other pregnancy sides effects like the carpal tunnel in my hands, and peeing all the time, and being out of breath and exhausted.  But like I have always said, overall it isn't much to complain about and I am just so happy that I am healthy and the babies are growing strong and healthy.  I'll take what feels like a broken pelvis as long as they are ok.  I do have my weak moments where I just start crying, sometimes because everything hurts and sometimes I have no idea why I am crying.  I do feel like the more I keep busy and move actually the better I feel and the more I just lay down for long periods the stiffer my muscles, bones and joints get and the more they hurt.  I don't want to sound negative and I hope I am not coming off that way, but I just want to be honest about the physical things I am feeling along the way and express my true emotions.  Most people have told me I look great and don't look at all like I am carrying twins.  Not sure if they are just lying to be nice, but either way I'll take the compliments.

On Wednesday morning last week, Justin and I headed to what was our 5th pediatrician.  Having not been 100% on numbers 1-4, we decided to give it one last shot. (thank you Maggie for the recommendation) And......we loved #5 who is a younger female pediatrician, in a group practice, who doesn't use nurse practitioners, who is affiliated with our hospital where we are delivering, so she will come to the hospital, and whose office is 5 minutes from our house!  We both loved her and she met all of our criteria, so Yay!!!  Cross it off the list, deep breath.

Wednesday I also went and got a massage which was nice, but I think the masseuse was afraid to touch me cause I look so pregnant, so it wasn't that great of a massage, which is not something I thought I would ever say about a massage.  Who doesn't like a massage? Ha, well apparently this girl!

Wednesday was a packed day and Justin and I went that evening and made a ton of meals that we can freeze and then cook once the babies arrive.  The place is awesome and if you haven't ever been the place is called Time for Dinner.  Their recipes are amazing, super easy to prep, and then you just pop them in the oven.  We made 28 dinners and 16 breakfasts for $200.  Super good deal and no stress when we want a good dinner.

On Thursday we had our weekly dr appointment and ultrasound.  Ultrasound was first like always and Shana was back, which was a relief!  She told us on top of doing the regular stuff, we would also be doing something called a Bio-something?? Ha, I can't remember what it was called, so I'll update with the actual name next blog.  Ha, anyway the bio-thing has 4 components.  Within a 30 minute time period she has to visually see each baby practice breathing, kick or have a large body movement, have ample amniotic fluid and a good heartbeat.  I don't think they usually do this with single healthy baby pregnancies, but apparently with multiples this is quite a common test.  Well, both babies passed with flying colors, so again, big deep breath.  And all of the other regular measurements and tests look totally normal and good as well.  Oh, Justin just told me the test is called a Biophysical.

We saw Missy this week instead of the doctor, which again is always great with us.  She asked how I was feeling and I am always brutally honest and tell her all about my aches and pains and she always says that they are all normal and nothing to worry about.  She brought up the whole delivery issue and we told her about the conversation we had with the doctor last week.  She said that was great that we had opened our mind to all options for delivery, but after today's ultrasound and how far along I am it looks like the babies are going to be making the decision because Baby A is still breech, and Baby B is transverse, which means neither are in position to deliver vaginally and have been in those positions for many weeks now.

I think this is a profile picture of Baby B, but it is hard to tell because she is so squished in there.

  And with them only getting bigger by the minute, there really isn't much chance that they will both turn around, just because of the space constraint, aka my belly doesn't have any more room.  So, with only a little over 4 weeks to go at the time of the appointment, she decided it would be best to tentatively schedule a date for c-section delivery.  She said we can always cancel it, change it or whatever, but getting it on the books with the hospital is good.  She checked with the doctor before we left and told us that he likes to deliver twins between 36-37 weeks and told us our tentative date is October 3rd.  It could happen before that if I go into labor anytime after Sept 23rd, but if I went into labor before Sept 23rd they would most likely stop it because it is a little too early.  We will confirm the October 3rd date at our next appointment, but I'm thinking that is going to be the day.  Wow, as I type this that means we have 22 days until the girls arrive, WOW!!!

Oh and I gained another 2lbs this week for a total gain of 28lbs, and my belly is measuring.....wait for it......41cm!!!  Yes, I am over term at 32.5 weeks ha ha ha!

Thought you would like to see my belly body guard.  If Justin tries to put his hand on my belly she goes after it! Hilarious!

My mom and stepdad Bruce came in town Friday for a long weekend to help us get all the last minute things done for the babies and around the house.  We spent Friday afternoon installing video camera monitors and fixing our TV's, (well Bruce installed and fixed them while I supervised from my glider), and mom and Justin put together the bouncer and the swing.  Saturday, my furry baby Annie got to get her staples out, FINALLY!!  Yay!  She was so happy, except for the fact that she had to wear the cone 1 more day to let things heal 24 hours more after the staple removal.  Then Saturday afternoon my mom, Justin and myself headed to Target for a stock up trip, so that we will have an ample supply of toiletries, dry food items, household products, you get the idea.  Well, I'm pretty sure we looked like those crazy people on that extreme couponing show because we had 2 carts FULL of stuff!  Oh, I forgot to mention I decided to utilize one of those scooter carts at Target which was hilarious, because when we were almost done, my scooter cart died (not sure if it was because my basket was so loaded down or what), so Justin ended up having to push his cart which was overflowing against the back of my scooter to make it to the checkout.  The girl who checked us out asked us why we were buying so much stuff and I just pointed to my large belly.  Oh, also I forgot to mention I had planned this trip for many weeks and had a coupon for 95% of the items we were buying, so the coupon scanning took about as long as scanning all of the items did.  The checkout girl asked me if I was an extreme couponer and one man even walked up behind us in line and asked if this was some sort of TV show.  I just kept laughing though the whole thing.  But in the end, my coupons saved us $70, so I was happy and we now have a stockpile to last us a couple months.

I could not stop laughing!  Justin got his workout for the day.

 Sunday we went to brunch with my mom and Bruce and then hung out and finished up some more house/baby projects and my last craft project.  Whew!  I think I can honestly say, we are done and ready for these babies to arrive.  Well..... at least the house is ready and we have supplies coming out our ears.  Thank you mom and Bruce for all your help!  We couldn't have done it without you!

 Monday and today I got to have lunch with some of my girlfriends which was really nice and just chatting and hanging out with them is relaxing!  Today, I also got to go have my hair done with my amazing hairstylist, Trish!  So I now have a new cut and beachy colored locks and am ready to look good when I head to the hospital.  It makes me feel a little better when I look at myself in the mirror and try to focus on my hair rather than how swollen I think my face looks.  He he!!  Thanks Trish!  I always love going to get my hair done with her because it is so relaxing and we just chat it up the whole time.  It really makes me feel good!

So I think that catches me up for the week.  We have a busy week or two coming up with another doctor appt, our anniversary, and Justin's birthday.  Never a dull moment around here!  

Here are my belly pictures for the week:

Mom and my belly.  It looks as big as she is, Ha ha!

Yea, I didn't know what a Durian fruit was either, so Google it.

Love to everyone!

Jenny & Justin +5

I am 8 months pregnant with twins......

and everything seems to be getting bigger by the minute including my belly, feet, hands, and lips.  I'm not sure if it is all this humidity and rain we have had the last several days, but WOW, I am feeling very puffy!!  

Thursday last week I stayed home all day and took care of Annie.  I wasn't making her wear the dreaded cone on her head because I felt guilty about the look she would give me when she had it on, but I would shortly learn my lesson.  By thursday evening my belly felt like it had grown again!  It is so strange to say, but it's almost like I can tell when it stretches further.  

I woke up Friday morning and noticed Annie's incision/staple site on her side was not looking great and it was oozing (sorry to be gross), some sort of pinkish cloudy liquid.  I kept having to tell her to leave it alone, so I decided to call the vet to get her opinion.  Well, I called and talked to the tech Anita, and she said yes, bring her in and she would take a look at it because the vet had actually gone into labor and had given birth earlier that morning.  (Yes, I swear every doctor we go to right now is pregnant!)

We headed to my weekly doctor appointment first and then decided we would take Annie after.  The ultrasound this week was with the weird lady again, who says very snide remarks and you can't tell if she is joking or serious.  At one point Justin and I were asking a couple questions about what things were because it is soooo hard to tell what is what now because everything is so smushed in there.  And the weirdo ultrasound lady said something like, "You guys are funny."  But not in that like we are ha ha funny, like as in we are stupid funny.  I don't know, I just don't like her and she rubs both of us the wrong way.  But she said everything looks great with me and the babies, so that is all that is important.  Cervix, heartbeats, amniotic fluid levels, organs all look normal and good.  Oh, and we weren't able to get any pictures because both babies were facing my back this week, sad face!

We then went to the other room to wait for the doctor.  I'd almost forgot what he looks like because we haven't seen him in several weeks.  He came in and we immediately began discussing my progress.  He said he is very happy with how everything is progressing and that everything looks super normal and there isn't anything to worry about at this point.  He always asks me if I think I am in labor, and I always say NO, because, How the heck do I know what labor feels like??  I guess I have gotten the answer right up to this point because he always agrees with me after I answer and says, NO I don't think you are in labor either, whew, ok passed the test!  I told him I was noticing the tightening about 5-6 times throughout a 24 hour period and he said that was ok and normal.  He asked if I wanted to schedule my c-section and that is when I told him I was kinda on the fence again about what I wanted to do.  There are positives and negatives to both ways, but forcing myself to have major surgery if it isn't necessary doesn't seem like something I should just jump into.  I am going to have 2 babies to take care of after, so being in the best shape possible for them is ideal.  If I'm not having to recover from major surgery, to me that seems all the better.  So we agreed we will not schedule anything now.  He said there are several scenarios of how this could play out:

1.  I could go into labor on my own and they would do an ultrasound.  If the baby further down in my pelvis is head down, then he and I will decide if I want to try delivering them vaginally or c-section. 

2.  I could go into labor on my own and they would do an ultrasound, and if baby further down in my pelvis is breech, I have NO choice to make and it is an automatic c-section.

3.  He will schedule an induction somewhere between 36-37.5 weeks along (if I haven't gone into labor), do the ultrasound and then either one of the 2 scenarios above would apply.

4.  I can schedule a c-section between 36-37.5 weeks.

5. WORST case scenario:  I am either induced or I go into labor on my own and first baby is head down, and I choose to try and have them vaginally and then for some reason can't and end up having to have a c-section.  Which means I go through labor AND have major surgery.  THIS scenario is the biggest reason I would lean towards just scheduling a c-section, because I have been told by MANY friends that going through both labor AND a c-section is the worst and the recovery is awful!

Soooooo, I am going to I guess go with a 1-3 combo and play it by ear for now and just hope for the easiest, least painful, safest thing for me and the babies is what is going to happen.  

I also asked the doctor a couple other questions.
What about skin-to-skin contact right after the babies are born.  He said with twins this isn't possible because they are born in an operating room, no matter what, and will be whisked away to be monitored, so we can do skin-to-skin, but it won't be till I am in recovery which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour after they are born.

I asked about having my AWESOME hospital music playlist being played in the operating/delivery room when the girls are born.  He said Justin is welcome to bring his iPhone in and play the music, but honestly he said it will be the last thing on my mind at that point.  He kinda laughed when I asked him about it.

Then the doctor felt my belly and measured it.  He said it felt normal and not too tight which is good for this point and it is measuring................39cm!!!!  Wow, pretty much full term!  Crazy!  Also he said I gained 6 lbs this week.  Ummmmm, not sure how I  didn't gain any weight last week and 6 lbs this week, but whatever, I am up to 26 lbs gained total, which he said is fine.  

Oh, so the last thing I forgot to mention above is that the doctor is thinking the babies will be born somewhere between 36-37.5 weeks which gives us a little clearer timeline of September 30-October 10.  He said probably not further than October 8th, but the furthest he would stretch would be the 10th. Wow, so that means the babies could be here in less than 4 weeks, or sooner if I go into labor on my own!!!!!!  Insane!  I CANNOT believe how fast time has gone by!  

Ok, I have to calm my brain for a minute because less than 4 weeks is really soon, deep breath....sigh.

After the doctor appointment I headed back to the vet with my furry baby Annie.  Anita the tech checked her incision site and said it did not look good, so she flushed it and cleaned it up and gave us a 10 day antibiotic to make sure that she didn't get an infection.  Also, she said Annie has to wear the cone ALL THE TIME, until she gets the staples out.  Sad face, for me and Annie.  So from Friday until now and continuing till Saturday the 8th, Annie will be a cone head, and we will carry her up and down the stairs every time she has to go outside, hand feed her and give her water, and lift her up and take her with us around the house wherever we go.  I tell you what, she is definitely helping us practice our nurturing skills.

My sad faced Annie with her cone!  

Here she is trying to sleep in her normal spot under the covers! All you can see is the outline of the cone, funny!

Friday night, Justin and I had what will probably be one of the last nights out with a huge group of my friends for a dinner party.  It was so awesome to see everyone and just be social.  I feel like I haven't seen my friends much all summer, and I know when the babies come my social life will be non-existent for awhile, so I am treasuring every moment I get to spend with them.

Most of the rest of the weekend we spent relaxing and Justin tried to keep me from doing things around the house, which is not an easy task.  If I have any sort of energy I feel like I should take advantage of it and get something ready for the babies or do laundry or make a list or something!!!  We went to a family gathering on Sunday to celebrate the holiday and his mom's birthday.  It was nice to see everyone there because this will probably be the last time we see the extended family on that side as well before the babies come.  

A couple people mentioned to me on Friday and Sunday that my belly looked like it had dropped.  I'm not sure if it is because that is what naturally happens at this point, or because it is so heavy it is just falling down, HA HA!  But I did look at it yesterday (Monday) and realized that it is sloping downward more because it is harder for me to see my belly button now.  Hmmmm, my ever changing belly!!

Here is my view from above looking down

Oh, also my feet are so freaking swollen I had to go buy flip flops in a size 10!!!  I wear a 7.5 or 8 normally, but I had to go up enough sizes so that the flip flop strap was loose enough.  So, since my feet haven't grown much in length, I now look like I am wearing boats because they are so long on me, but they are  the only thing I can get on my feet.  Crazy!

In the last several days I have noticed the tightening in my belly has increased in frequency to about 10+ times a day, but still nothing close together or painful.  I am also getting more uncomfortable and it is getting harder for me to get up off the couch in the evenings and it is very painful on my pelvis getting up several times during the night to go to the bathroom.  I am thinking I am going to be SUPER ready by week 36!  At least physically I will be ready, not sure if I will ever feel mentally ready!

Today (Tuesday), I had my last chiropractic appointment with my chiropractor because she is going on maternity leave and supposed to have her baby next week.  I will continue to go get adjusted by the doctor she has filling in for her for at least the next couple weeks, because I think it is really helping me not have back pain.  Justin and I also took Adel (Delly as we like to call her) to the fun doggie swimming event that our local pool has on the last day of the season.  It was so fun!  Here is a video we took below:  (not sure if I did this right or not, so you might not be able to view it)

Well I think, that about wraps it up.  Here is my 8 month belly photo!

Love to all!

Jenny & Justin +5

I am 31 weeks pregnant and.......

The party in my belly is a rocking!!  The babies activity level seems to have increased and they are moving and kicking harder and more often.  Most times it doesn't bother me except for when one of them moves or kicks so hard it feels and looks like a body part is going to pop out of the front of my belly!!  And most of the time the movement isn't painful, but there are also those certain movements that just hurt.  

I have also been noticing tightening in my belly more frequently throughout the day.  It seems to be happening about 5 times a day on average over the last 6 days but nothing close together or painful.  

Oh, and holy swelling!! The last couple days my feet and hands are super swollen!  They feel somewhat arthritic as well which is just annoying.  My belly also feels bigger the last couple days and I'm finding it even harder to get up if I am sitting down.  The only way I can describe it is if you aged from 30-80 in a month!  But I know it is all part of the process and these things will subside, so I'm dealing.  

Thought you would like to see a picture of my left kankle!! It is the worse of the two.  Gross!!

On Friday I took 2 of our dogs, Annie and Pickles, in for some routine shots and checkups.  The vet checked a little lump on Annie and said it was cancer and it needed to be removed and tested right away.  Well, I lost it!  Annie is my baby girl and the first dog I got on my own when I lived in San Diego.  I still remember the day I adopted her so clear like it was yesterday.  She is a child to me and so I was devastated.  The vet insisted we schedule surgery right away to remove it and have it tested.  The scary thing is the vet reminded me that Annie has a pretty severe heart murmur so putting her under anesthesia is risky because her risk for heart complications during surgery is much higher, which means she could die on the table.  So, I was torn about what to do, but decided we should do the surgery because I want her around as long as possible and I know she is a fighter.  But that still didn't help my emotional state, I was still a mess.  Justin has also grown very close to Annie so he was pretty upset when I told him.  

Justin and I spent the weekend just hanging out at home most of the time, spending time loving on Annie.  I did go to a friends baby shower for a couple hours on Sunday which was fun, but other than that it was all about loving on her.  Monday morning Justin and I drove Annie to the vet and as soon as I got out of the car carrying Annie, I went into the hysterical ugly cry.  We walked into the vet and the nurse tech Anita, immediately said I was going to make her cry and I just couldn't stop crying!  The vet came out and I continued to cry and couldn't speak.  The vet, who is as pregnant as I am, joked and said "no pressure on me this morning, but I'll just chock some of this up to your pregnancy hormones.". And I knew she was right somewhat, but I couldn't respond because I was crying so hard.  We said our goodbyes to Annie and told her to be strong.  The vet said she would do her surgery first and call me right away.  

And I went home and cried some more, and wait for what seemed like the longest hour ever!!  The vet called 1 hour later and said Annie had made it through surgery like a champ.  Big deep breath!!!!!  But, she said we needed several more hours to get the anesthesia out of her system to be in the clear.  In the meantime, I went to lunch that day with some girlfriends from my previous job to get my mind off of things and it really helped make me feel better.  So thanks girls!!  Also my friend Jessica made me these beautiful burp cloths and taggy, soft blankets for the babies which are so awesome!  After lunch I called the vet and they said Annie was doing great and we could pick her up around 4pm. Yay!!!! Another big deep breath.

I headed to the chiropractor with Justin at 3pm and then we headed straight to the vet to get our baby girl.  She was pretty out of it when we arrived, and I wasn't prepared for how big of an incision she was going to have! Wow, 14 staples and a 6inch incision is huge on a 10lb dog!  

Ouch!!  Poor girl!!

We took her home and she cried and whimpered most of the evening which broke my heart.  I think it was the meds wearing off, but whatever it was it made me feel guilty and sad.  Anyway, we carried her around all evening and snuggled with her on the couch and in bed.  She was a little restless, so I didn't sleep Monday night.  I was too worried about her.  Yesterday, Tuesday was better and her pain meds seem to be working, and she is starting to seem like Annie again, so I am relieved for that.  I am just staying at home all week to take care of her and make sure she is healing and ok.  Whew, what a traumatic couple days for me, and her!  

Today is now Wednesday and I had another sleepless night watching Annie.  I wasn't sure what was wrong, but she wouldn't lay down and she just kept staring at me and Justin all night.  Then she started panting somewhere around 3am.  Oh, I guess I should say up to 3am, we had already let her outside, offered her food, water and treats, petted her, basically tried everything to get her to relax.  This morning about 7am I tried moving to the couch with her and she laid down for about an hour and then started panting again.  So, I called the vet and they had me bring her up just to make sure she was ok.  And....everything checked out fine.  The vet said she is just in some pain and is going to be for a couple of days.  

Justin and I talked this morning and we think Annie is just trying to prepare us for what is coming very soon!!  No sleep!  Well, it's working, cause I am exhausted!  Ha ha!  It does make me realize though that I am capable of getting up every hour and functioning to take care of something that I care about and that needs me.  I just always assumed with how heavy of a sleeper I am that I would just sleep right through everything.  

Well, I think that is all for now.  We head to the doctor again Friday for our weekly appointment.  Until then here is my weekly photo:

How far along?  31 weeks 3 days as of Wednesday the 29th

Total weight gain/loss:  +20lbs as of last Dr visit

Maternity clothes?  Yep, and growing out of them quickly (they are just getting too short)

Stretch marks?  Nope, thank goodness!!

Sleep:  Not this week.  I am still pretty sore and uncomfortable along with the Annie situation doesn't equal sleep.

Best moment this week:  Annie making it though surgery!

Miss Anything?  High heels, Moving faster

Movement:  Oh heck yea!  The babies think I am a punching bag!

Food cravings?  Tombstone pepperoni pizza has been my go to this last week or two

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Food commercials, the discussion of food  

Labor Signs: Yes, some tightening in my belly on average 5 times a day for the last several days; no pain or anything close together to be worried about

Belly Button in or out? I have no belly button left, it is just this nubbin that sticks out of the end of this huge belly.

Wedding rings on or off?  No rings or bracelets or watches, everything feels constricting because I am swollen

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Cried a lot this last week, due to well......everything and anything

Weekly Wisdom:  The universe will try and prepare you for what is next in life whether you want it to or not.  And....sometimes crying just feels really good and honestly you have NO idea why you are crying! Ha!

Looking forward to:  The long holiday weekend with my husband and furry kids relaxing, Annie getting better, SLEEPING, and wearing scarfs and boots (meaning I'm looking forward to cooler weather).

Love to all!!

Jenny & Justin +5

30 weeks pregnant, Wahoo!!! Oh and Anxiety, Questions and Nesting...

The last 2 days (20th & 21st) my mind has been racing.  I feel like I have anxiety about everything...I'm not ready, I don't have everything perfect and done, I don't want my husband to go out of town for fear that I will go into labor while he is gone and the thoughts go on and on.  And the anxiety leads to a million questions, how the heck are we going to do this?  Are there really 2 babies in there? Do I have enough love to give them both? Am I going to be a good mom?  Do I have enough clothes in the right sizes?  Do I have all the gadgets and gear I need for when they arrive?  C-section vs Not? (yes, I am back to not knowing what I want again)  And so the anxiety and questions have led to frantic nesting.... Running errands, buying more baby clothes and gadgets, craft projects, laundry, organizing, making lists and lists and lists.  Yes, I know I was like this before, but now my mind is racing while I am doing all of these things, so it is starting to make me a little crazy!!

And now it is Tuesday night the 21st and by the time everyone reads this I will be about 30.5 weeks pregnant.  I just couldn't get myself to sit down and post on Sunday or Monday, so I guess I'll just catch up as I go.  And I must say today felt like I finally got most of my issues that were giving me anxiety completed, but I also felt like a boulder was put in my path because my belly felt significantly heavier today and I felt like my body is saying.....well if you won't slow down then I will make you slow down.  

We went to our doctor appointment on Thursday the 16th for our last 2 week appointment.  We will be going weekly from this point on.  And the doctor appointment couldn't have gone better.  We did the usual ultrasound first and my cervix still looks long and closed which is ideal.  She then looked at the babies and everything looks even more crammed than last time.  I had to lay on both sides and on my back for a brief time so she could get pictures and measurements of everything she needed.  Thank goodness I didn't get nauseous. So here is where the babies are as of Thursday the 16th:  Baby A is 3lbs 3oz and Baby B is 3lbs 4oz!!!  Can you believe how big they are!! Wow, crazy that I have 6lbs 7ozs of babies in my belly! 

The only shot we could get because everything is so crowded in there!!  A profile shot of Baby B with her hand.

After the ultrasound we had our appointment with Missy the nurse practitioner.  Yes, we haven't seen the doctor in a couple of appointments, but it isn't because he doesn't like us, it is just everything is going so smooth and good with my pregnancy, that we are ok just seeing Missy.  And we are totally fine with that, because we really like her. She said everything looks great, both babies are in the 49% and 50% when compared to a single baby pregnancy which is perfect and means each is growing at the same rate as a single pregnancy.  Also, both babies are in the 88% for height based on their thigh bone measurements.  Long-legged girls!!  She said it was awesome their weights were so close and asked if I was having tightening in my belly.  I said yes I had noticed it happening here and there, but nothing close together or more than maybe 2-3 times a day.  I said they didn't hurt it just felt like my belly had been pulled really tight.  She said this is normal and they are contractions, but just my body practicing.  She said if they got painful or I have cramps or I have several in a row over a short period I should take 2 ibuprofen and call her right away. 

Oh and I gained 4lbs in this 2 week period, so I'm up to 20lbs total weight gain and my belly is measuring 37cm or 37 weeks pregnant.  We also discussed with her how we (Justin and I) had been a little stressed and short with each other lately and she said that it was totally normal at this point because each of us is just trying to figure out what our new roles are going to be and each is stressed about different issues pertaining to that.  She also told Justin to be prepared that my hormones were only going to get worse after the babies come and that it wasn't anything I could control.  She said I wouldn't be myself for several weeks after the babies were born, so he just needed to be prepared, but not to worry his wife would return after a short while.  Ha ha ha!! Can't wait for that!  I mean after 2.5 years of fake hormones being injected into my body and then having real hormones while being pregnant, how much worse could it get?  She said actually it could get worse....awesome!!  I just can't wait to feel mentally normal again.  

After our appointment Thursday we had our 4th pediatrician interview. This doctor came highly recommended from my friend Jenny.    He was very personable and warm and oddly enough looked much like my pediatrician growing up.  We walked in and were greeted immediately by him, and just sat in the waiting room (it was after hours) and chatted with him.  He said it was a group practice, so many times last minute appointments or after hours phone calls would be dealt with by another doctor or a nurse practitioner.  I'm not sure how I feel about that. Yes, it is great that there is someone available if he isn't, but does that mean his interest in our girls won't be that personable?  The info sheet he gave us also said that their practice relies heavily on nurse practitioners, which also leads me to assume that.  I also asked about once the girls get to a certain age they might feel more comfortable having a female doctor and he said he has no problem with us switching to one of the female doctors within the practice.  He said it happens quite often with male and female patients switching to same sex doctors for the comfort factor.  Which leads to me then thinking, why don't we just have a female doctor to begin with?  I think I would feel more comfortable asking questions about breast feeding issues with a female pediatrician.  And then we wouldn't have to switch doctors down the road.  So, I think we are leaning towards doctor #2 that we interviewed.  Only problem with her is I can't pronounce her name, we' ll just go with what our nurse practitioner calls her, Dr. A.  She is a solo practice, so we feel she will know the girls on a more personal level.  That isn't our final decision, but that is just where I am at with it.  I'm just glad we have 2 good ones to choose from.  

Justin and I spent the weekend busy as ever!!  We went to the baseball game Saturday and had dinner out with some great friends after.  Then Sunday we spent some time with his family, ran errands, installed the car seats, worked on nursery stuff and on and on and on!  It was a long productive day!  And yes I turned 30 weeks pregnant Sunday!  Wow, what a milestone!  

Probably my last baseball game this year.  Hey, at least it was a beautiful day!

My 30 week belly photo

Monday my awesome friend Katie came over to help organize and evaluate all the baby stuff I have to see what I still need and where it should go for best use.  In 2.5 hours I feel like we got a lot done, I learned a lot and realized I needed some more things before the girls arrive, mostly clothes in smaller sizes.  She said I am super organized and if the babies came today I would be fine, so that made me feel better.  Thanks Katie for your help!  I'm thinking all this running around and organizing and realizing I need more stuff contributed to my anxiety on Monday and Tuesday?? Hmmmm, whatcha think!!??

The closet is almost organized!  And getting very full of clothes!

Today (Tuesday 21st), Justin and I took our cars and car seats to the chesterfield city hall to have them inspected by a certified officer and make sure we know how to install them in both cars.  It was super informative and I feel much more confident about doing it myself.  

I also worked on another craft project for the nursery this afternoon and got it completed, whew!  Cross it off one of my lists.  I have one more craft project to finish this week, but here are a couple pictures of what I have completed so far:

This was a tutu made by my great aunt or maybe 2 greats?  My aunt had it and I brought it back to life with a little spray paint, new bows, and mounted it in a shadow box.  Love the vintage look!

My headband holder I created out of a paper towel holder, a roll of paper towels, a glue gun, and some fabric.  Love it!

The thing I love most in the nursery is the tissue paper corner mobile my mom and I made!  I am obsessed with it and can't stop looking at it every time I walk into the nursery!

Justin and I went to a paint your own pottery place and hand painted these 2 little banks for the girls!  I think they turned out super cute!

So like I said earlier, my belly started feeling heavier today and now I am at a very very slow waddle.  We are headed to the doctor again tomorrow (22nd) for our weekly check up.  So I guess I'll just wait to post this until after tomorrows appointment...............

Well it is now Wednesday the 22nd and we are waiting to go into the ultrasound and I have already had quite a funny morning.  I couldn't sleep last night.  I am trying not to take the 1/2 unisom tablets every night, because I just hate taking medicine if I don't have to, but I'm realizing if I don't that I can't really sleep at all because well.... I am very sore and it hurts to turn over or move, my mind is racing, I have acid reflux pretty bad (it doesn't hurt it's just annoying), and if I start to fall asleep I wake myself up because I snore REALLY loud!  Something I have found really hilarious during the last couple months of pregnancy!  I mean it is an all out deep mouth breathing snore that could wake the neighborhood.  You know it has to be loud when you wake yourself up constantly! Ha! (btw the doctor said it is totally normal because my sinuses are clogged.  Just another pregnancy thing). 

Anyway, I didn't get to sleep until after 2am and then woke up at 6am when Justin left for work and couldn't fall back asleep.  So I had some cereal and decided to whip up some pumpkin instant bread mix around 730am and pop it in the oven.  I walked back into the bedroom and next thing I know..............it's 1130am and I wake up to a nice smell of pumpkin.  I mean I haven't gotten out of bed that fast in weeks!!!  I run in the kitchen expecting it to be filled with smoke.....but nothing.  So I barely opened the oven expecting smoke and all I see is the bread pan and a black shriveled mass.  I pulled it out, turned off the oven and have now banned myself from baking anything! Baby brain is in full effect!!  Here is the final product: 

4 hour baby brain pumpkin bread, Yum!

So after an eventful start to my Wednesday morning, Justin and I headed to our weekly doctor appointment and ultrasound.  The ultrasound was just the same as last week.  Baby A is breech and Baby B is transverse.  My cervix looks good and babies look good.  Our visit with Missy the nurse practitioner was pretty short and sweet as well.  I did not gain any weight since last Thursday's appointment but my belly is now measuring 38cm.  I told her my belly felt like it had dropped and felt heavier.  She said this was normal.  I also mentioned my night time issues and she said the unisom is perfectly ok to take every night and I should spread my vitamins/meds throughout the day and start taking this anti-nausea med they had given me in the first trimester because I have noticed my nausea is coming back slightly and it should also help with the acid reflux.

Another shot of the top of their heads is all we could get of both of them.  This is kind of a repeat of a couple weeks ago.

Another profile shot of Baby B, which seems like the only shot we can ever get anymore.

Phew!  Ok, I think I am caught up to this moment.  And I swear I am going to start slowing down!!  Well I kinda have to cause my belly isn't going to allow anything different.  But no bed rest, so I'm thankful for that! Here are a couple pictures of the nursery.  It isn't quite completed to perfection, but I thought I'd share anyway, because who knows if it will ever be as perfect as I want it.

Walking into the nursery

The left crib and wall of the nursery.  The photos and art work that goes in the frames hasn't all arrived yet.  And don't worry everything is double mounted and velcrowed to the wall.

A head on shot

The right crib and wall with the LOVE letters my mom and I made and hung.

And finally:

The furry babies trying on the tiny sunglasses I got in the mail today!  

Movie star! She wouldn't quit moving.

Love it!

Going to bed!  Love to everyone!

Jenny & Justin +5

29 weeks pregnant!

You know when you are 29 years old and you are just dreading turning 30 (well at least I was) because it made you feel like you were really getting old.  Well..... being 29 weeks pregnant I am feeling NOTHING like that!  I can't wait to get to 30 weeks!

I spent this last week (my 28th week of pregnancy) running errands, working on the nursery, trying to relax a little, having lunch with friends, and working on 2 craft projects for the nursery. (I will take pictures of my craft projects once the nursery is complete.)  Mostly just nesting stuff.  I can't say that it has been too exciting and I get tired super fast, so everything takes 30 times as long to accomplish because I have to stop and rest a lot.

I went to the mall one day and I had 4 stores I needed to go to.  OMG!!!  After 2 stores I was so exhausted, old people were lapping me I was waddling so slow!  And you know what is funny, there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.  It isn't like I can try and speed up, I am just this slow moving barge, ha ha!!  Needless to say I paid the price that night for walking so much because I was so sore once I laid on the couch for a bit, that I could barely get back up.

How am I feeling at 29 weeks pregnant with twins?  Overall, pretty good.  I still have the stiffness, swelling, and joint pain in my hands and fingers.  The worst thing at this point is my groin, inner thigh, pelvis soreness.  I have kinda grown accustomed to it, and even though it is pretty painful I am just learning to deal with it.  Yes, it makes walking, sitting, standing, getting up, and getting out of bed difficult, but I guess I just assume things could be worse.  I am NOT on bed rest, the babies and I are super healthy and there are no signs at this point that they are coming anytime soon, so the pain and soreness seems tolerable.  Oh, I forgot to mention I also can't breathe very well anymore which more than anything else is just annoying.  The babies have moved up so high that Baby B kicks my rib cage and gets her foot caught underneath of it.  I know, yes, breathing is important, which is another reason why I can't do very much before I am winded and exhausted quickly.  One set of stairs knocks me out for a good 15 minutes.

I continue to go to the chiropractor every week which seems to be doing a lot of good because I don't have much back pain at this point.  I have also continued to get massages every 2 weeks, which feels amazing and I think helps my sore bones and muscles.

Justin had his annual boys baseball trip this past weekend to Philly.  I think he had a great time and it gave me time to get those craft projects done and well as lots of stuff around the house.  Funny thing is, I usually don't mind if he is gone out of town for a couple days, but this time I was a little panicked.  I kept thinking all these bad things were going to happen, or I was going to go into labor while he was away and it was freaking me out!!  I guess it is just my pregnancy brain on overdrive.  But I told him I am hoping he doesn't have to go out of town anymore before the babies come because the anxiety is overwhelming for me.

The nursery isn't quite done yet, but I am hoping to have it completed by this week.  Details, details people!!  It has to look perfect before I photograph the final thing and show it to everyone.  And remember I don't move very fast.

Well, it is short and sweet this week!  Here is my belly picture for the week:

Babies are the size of Acorn squashes.

We have lots of exciting stuff going on the rest of the week, so I can't wait to update when I turn 30 weeks next week!  Until then!

Jenny & Justin +5

Maternity photo shoot

I forgot to share the link to our maternity photo shoot slide show.  I think the pictures turned out really well!  We just love our photographer!  She is also the one who did our wedding and will do all of the newborn-1 year pictures for the girls.

http://brandibrownphoto.com/clients/naber_maternity/

Hope you like them as much as we do!  These were taken when I was 26 weeks pregnant.

Jenny & Justin +5

7 months pregnant!

Unbelievable! Can you believe it!? I can't.  Seems like a dream or some alternate universe.  I was walking through Target with my mom a couple days ago and she just looked over at me and said, I never imagined that I would be walking through Target with my daughter who was pregnant carrying twins.  I felt the same way.  I could never imagine this reality in my head, and never could see myself with a huge belly.  Life is crazy!

This past week has been a whirlwind home/nursery makeover thanks to my awesome mother.  She came in town for both of my baby showers, but also to help get our house and nursery organized and set up, so that I can relax these last several weeks.  And I must say she blew me away!  Not only did she help throw me an awesome shower that I talked about last week, but she took my to-do list and just went to town.  Painting, spraying painting, crafting tissue paper flowers, hanging a wall photo collage, hanging a TV, installing a gate, organizing all the shower gifts, rearranging our bedroom and living room to accommodate and make more space, and the list goes on and on.  This woman never runs out of energy!  We also ran errands, shopped, and treated ourselves to a massage one day.  Whew!  I tried to help her as much as I could, but I have to give her 95% of the credit for how awesome our house and nursery looks today. 

Every evening by the time Justin got home from work my mom and I were exhausted from our packed days, so we spent most of the evenings she was here just relaxing, ordering in and watching the Olympics.  It was nice.

I continued to have pain and soreness in my inner thighs and butt all week that honestly feels like my pelvis is going to split in two.  It continues to make it hard to walk, and forces me to waddle, and even makes it hard to stand up after sitting.  More on that later.

We headed to our 2 week doctor appointment on Thursday and my mom got to come along.  She was super excited because she hadn't seen the babies on ultrasound since they were like 7 weeks, just tiny little beans.  We did the ultrasound first with Shana and I laid on my side so I wouldn't get nauseous.  She checked my cervical length first and it is still long and closed which is awesome.  Shana made a comment about these babies are never coming out.  Ummm, yea.....ha ha! Anyway then she started doing her usual inspection of each baby and just watching my moms face was priceless.  She was so excited and Shana was being super nice and telling her what everything was, which baby was which, how they were positioned, and tried to get some good views of them.  Unfortunately, the babies are running out of room in my belly and it is very tight quarters in there, so everything is now looking really smushed together and it is hard to decipher what is what on the ultrasound screen.  We couldn't really get any good pictures this week except for a cute one of the top of their 2 heads together.  See below.  Oh also I should mention they are both still in weird positions which are not good for a normal vaginal birth.....and yes I'm totally ok with that. C-section here I come!  Baby A is butt down breech and baby B is transverse or horizontal across my belly.  

All 3 of us then headed to the exam room to meet with the nurse practitioner, Missy.  She said everything looks super normal and great!  Yay!!  She said she can't believe how long my cervix is for being this far along with twins.  I said thanks, like it was some sort of compliment, ha ha!  She said I had gained another 2 lbs for a total of 16lbs gained.  She said though that they had not accounted for any weight gain while I was at the fertility clinic for the first 10 weeks.  If I remember correctly I didn't gain any because of nausea, but I had gained about 10-15 lbs during our fertility treatments over the last year.  So anyway, with that all being said, Missy said I am fine and should just continue on the path I have been on, but that an extra milkshake wouldn't hurt.  I told her my inner thigh, groin, tail bone, pelvis, butt, ass or whatever you want to call that whole area was really sore and it felt like I had worked out those muscles for days and that I felt like my pelvis was going to split in two.  She laughed at me because I was so blunt about my description and then said yes it is completely normal and that stretching, icing and continuing to get adjusted at the chiropractor were the only real solutions.  She also told me to take ibuprofen for a couple days to see if that helped.  I did, and it helped a tiny bit, but not much.  The last thing she did was measure my belly and it is............36cm!!!!  That means it is measuring at what a single pregnancy would be at 9 months along! Wow, so basically I look 9 months pregnant at 7 months.  What the heck am I gonna look like in a month?? Not sure I want to know.

Last but certainly not least I had my second baby shower thrown by Justin's family on Sunday.  It was held at this eclectic little restaurant in their private room.  His family decorated super cute with tissue flowers and little tutu's on the backs of the chairs.  Most of Justin's female family members were there and it was great to see everyone, and it didn't hurt that they had the best French toast I have ever had in my life! Yum!  It was really sweet of them to throw the shower for me and I am very appreciative!

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy experience has gone that my baby showers are already over!  I just kept telling myself at both showers to take in and enjoy every moment because these were the only ones I would ever have.  

So now that almost all of the nursery decor and assembly is complete (thanks mom!), I can now relax quite a bit and just slowly work on little things and final errands before the babies arrive. Do you hear the big deep breath and sigh?  I am also going to spend this week organizing all the stuff that is still in boxes in the nursery, so I can get it looking perfect and take perfect pictures to show the final nursery product.  One more week and I promise I'll share with you.

Ok, I'm exhausted and my mom left this morning, so I'm headed to start relaxing.  Below are a couple pictures from the week:

The only decent picture this week.  The girls have their 2 heads together.

Celebrating 7 months with my mom

Wow, can it get any bigger??

Naber Baby shower 

My sister-in-laws

How far along?   28 weeks or 7 months

Total weight gain/loss:  16lbs gained

Maternity clothes?  Ummm, I'm starting to wonder what I will wear in a month because my maternity tops are getting too short.  Guess I'll live in my maxi dresses

Stretch marks?  No, no, and no....Hoping my concoction of revitrol, burts bees belly butter and mamma mio tummy rub stretch mark oil is helping keep them away!!

Sleep: Some nights yes I sleep like a baby and don't wake up till like 10am, other nights the babies are kicking me all night and I am uncomfortable and I wake up at 6am wide awake and starving

Best moment this week:  Feeling this huge relief off my shoulders that the nursery is 98% complete and I can relax and not panic anymore

Miss Anything?  Mimosas, being able to buckle my own sandals, to get right up off the couch or bed with ease

Movement: Constantly!  If it isn't A it's B or vice versa or both

Food cravings?  Still waiting for this to happen

Anything making you queasy or sick: I used to eat these Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches for breakfast every morning and I tried to eat one this morning and I almost threw up

Labor Signs: Nope, no where close

Belly Button in or out?  I don't even have a belly button anymore, it is just this weird nubbin thing that sticks out 

Wedding rings on or off?  Fake one gets tighter by the week, I give it another week or two and then I am done

Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy but exhausted, and speaking my mind when ever I feel necessary

Weekly Wisdom:   Wow, I am surrounded by such a wonderful group of friends, family, doggies and a loving husband.  And if I am surrounded by that, then that means these 2 little girls will be as lucky or even luckier to feel the love I feel from everyone around us.  That love and support was very apparent at both of my showers and I just count Justin and I as 2 of the luckiest people in the world!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that my swelling is back in full effect ever since it rained here last week and the humidity started to rise again!  Notice the swollen face in my shower pictures above, yuck!  So anyway I am taking my sausage fingers and toes and my rickety pelvis to bed, he he!

Jenny & Justin +5