27 weeks and slowing down...

Yes, I officially walk much slower than I used to and I can't help it.  My belly just won't let me walk at my usual fast pace.  It just sucks when you see old people flying by you, ha ha!  The other reason I walk so slow is one of those pregnancy symptoms that no one told me about.  The lower abdomen and inner thigh soreness.  Wow!  It feels like I have been at the gym for 3 days straight doing abs and inner thighs.  I did some research online and apparently it is quite common for this to happen around 32-34 weeks of pregnancy for a single baby pregnancy, but with me it started at about 25-26 weeks and seems to only be getting more sore as each week progresses.  I'm not sure if this is what causes other pregnant women to waddle when they walk, but it my case it is definitely the reason why I waddle.

Last Monday I almost reached my breaking point and lost my mind!  And NO it didn't have anything to do with being pregnant.  The cribs were delivered a week ago this past Thursday and upon inspecting them I noticed one of the cribs had a gap in between the side rail and front rail that I mentioned in my last blog.  Well 4 repair people, 4 days, and hours of waiting at home for the repair people to show up the cribs were finally fixed on Monday.  Turns out the idiots who initially put the cribs together who said they were "experts", put the cribs together backwards and that is why they weren't fitting together! Experts my ass!  And finally when it was all said and done, I lost it on the manager of the delivery and setup service.  I told her exactly how I felt and how frustrated I was and how dangerous it was to have people setting up baby cribs improperly.  She agreed and we were refunded our entire $165 delivery and setup fee, so that helped the anger a little.

But wait, Monday gets better.  After I got off the phone with that lady I had to go meet Justin to head to our 3rd pediatrician interview.  I met him in the parking lot and we walked into the building and into the door to the office.  Mind you I was already HOT from dealing with the crib issue all morning and afternoon, and I was immediately smacked in the face with the smell of vomit and dirty diapers in the waiting room.  Lovely!  I looked and Justin and asked him what he smelled and he said, well a combination of vomit and dirty diapers.  Ok good, I wasn't just having an overactive pregnancy nose.  We waited for a couple minutes and a man-child opened the door wearing star wars pajama scrub bottoms and a star wars t-shirt and ushered us back.  I am assuming he was a male nurse, but the sight of him was rather disturbing.  He put us in the tiniest room I have ever seen and closed the door behind him.  I mean this room had to have been like 5x5 with a long exam table, filing cabinet, 2 chairs and now the 3 of us......it was more than claustrophobic to say the least and I am not even claustrophobic!!  He asked us a couple questions and said the doctor would be in shortly.  He closed the door and left us in this closet of a room to wait.  As we sat there we both noticed the 80's kids decor like we had stepped back in time 25 years.  And then the waiting began and the temperature in the room also began to rise.  It got hotter and hotter and the room seemed to get smaller by the minute.  Finally after 18 minutes of sitting in this 80's dirty diaper closet, I looked at Justin and said, "Ok, this guy has 2 minutes to walk in that door or else I am outta here."  The look on Justin's face was priceless because I don't think he really thought I was serious.  And for the next 120 seconds I stared at my watch and then got up out of my chair, opened the door to freedom and said, "Let's go, we are outta here!"  I walked up to the receptionist and said,  "I'm sorry but we have been waiting for 20 minutes in that tiny room and we have things to do and places to be.  It is very hot in that room, and I'm pregnant and don't have time for this."  I glanced over and saw star wars man-child in the break room eating his snack pack with a scared look on his face.  I had seen enough!  I think Justin might have been embarrassed and the receptionist apologized and Justin said, Ummmm we'll call you.  And we walked out.  I looked back at him and said, "We'll call you??"  Justin just laughed and said, well I didn't know what else to say.  We just laughed and scratched this doctor off our list.  I mean come on...if he was trying to make a good first impression I have advice for him, but I'll keep those choice words to myself.

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday just relaxing at home because I was mentally and physically exhausted from the few previous days and because it was like 107 degrees outside both days.  Thursday I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure which was super nice and very relaxing.  I wish I could have one everyday!!

My mom and Bruce arrived on Friday along with my step sister Caroline.  We had a great time going to lunch and watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics Friday night.  Well I have to say I did put Justin and my mom and Bruce to work a little bit Friday afternoon moving things and hanging things and fixing things.  But hey, I am learning to ask for help right!?

Saturday was my first of 2 baby showers.  My great friend Katie and my amazing mom organized it at this awesome wine bar/restaurant in one of their private rooms.  I walked into my shower with my step sister Caroline and immediately got one the biggest, most awesome surprises!  There standing in front of me was my 2 oldest friends from Kansas City and their mom.  I have known all 3 of them, well I guess I should say they have known me since my mom was pregnant with me and saw me the day I came home from the hospital.  I knew they had been invited, but never expected them to make the drive to St. Louis.  So, again I walk into my shower and see them and immediately lose it and start crying.  Happy tears of course!  It was so overwhelming and emotional for me.  After getting over my crying episode I made my way around and it was so awesome to see all of my amazing friends.  From my girls I have been friends with since grade school, their moms (who are all like my 2nd moms), girls I became friends with at work, family, and then my second surprise...my girlfriend Melissa from Iowa drove down and surprised me as well.  Here come the tears again!  But what an amazing day!  To be surrounded by all my favorite, most special girls to celebrate these 2 very special girls in my belly...it just doesn't get any better than that.  Oh and also having an amazing dessert table doesn't hurt either!  He he!  I am so grateful!

After Saturday I was exhausted, but still managed to start organizing the nursery with my mom on Sunday.  I tell you what, when the 2 of us get together there is no stopping our organizing and decorating mania!  I am just happy she is staying all week to help get the nursery finalized so that I have one less thing to worry about.  But I am sure I will find something else to worry about when that is done.

Here are my pictures from the week:

The babies are the size of Rutabagas, whatever those are??

Here is one with my momma! Why does my belly look bigger in the second picture?

My oldest friends drove over from Kansas City!  Love you guys!

A group shot where everyone is looking at the camera and looking good!  So cute!

Lots of stuff to put away and organize after the first shower

The floor was covered, wow!

I don't know where it is all going to go??

Ok, well I think that is all for last week.  Until next time...

Jenny & Justin +5

26 weeks! A 2 week catch up blog!

I decided not to do a blog last week because honestly I didn't have a whole lot of exciting things to report besides my weekly picture, and I didn't want to bore you.  So now I get to catch up on 2 weeks in my life of my pregnancy!  Two weeks ago began my 24th week of pregnancy and that is when I began to feel and see a lot more action inside and outside my belly.  The girls are kicking like crazy!!  Sometimes they seem to be awake at the same time which is a little overwhelming for my belly with all the kicking and moving, and sometimes just A is awake and moving and sometimes just B is awake.  And then there are other times when one is awake for a bit and will wake up the other one.  How can I tell which is which?  Well, Baby A is very low down in my belly and further back so when she moves or kicks is isn't as strong and it is much lower on my abdomen.  Baby B is laying horizontal across my belly button and feels like she is going to push through the surface of my skin at any moment.  When they move it is so reassuring to me to know that everything is ok.

So during week 24 I did get somethings accomplished on my list of, "things to do before the babies arrive!"  Those things included meeting with our first of 4 pediatrician interviews, in order to find a doctor we love for the girls.  The first pediatrician came highly recommended from our current OB.  Her office is directly across the hall in the hospital from his.  She was a very nice woman originally from Egypt, but I have to admit I totally judged her based upon her looks when we first met.  Because honestly... she looked like mother Teresa.  She had this strange knit cap/beanie thing over her hair and this very oversized men's button down shirt on.  It was weird.  And her accent was quite strong and I found myself at times having a very hard time understanding her.  But......she really seems to know her stuff and really seems to love children and works with lots of sets of multiples.  She was very knowledgeable and her voice was very calming.  Now, I never met mother Teresa, but I imagine this is how she would have made you feel after talking to her, very calm and assured.  Justin and I left the office and both admitted that we pre-judged her based upon looks, but overall she seems like a kind, caring, knowledgeable doctor.  Are we going to pick her?  If I'm totally honest....probably not, but she isn't totally out of the running.

Also completed on my list I mentioned above was a meeting with our insurance guy to discuss life insurance.  And since I know NOTHING about life insurance I thought it would be good for Justin and I to get informed and think about our options.  The meeting was very informative and I now understand how it all works and what our options are.  We haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet, but at least we know what we need to do when we decide.  So at least we are half way there.

During this week I also enjoyed 2 great meals with friends including my corner girls lunch on Monday, which has turned into a 3 hour affair that I love!  And a dinner with some close girl friends  on Thursday at this cute little Mexican place.  It is just so nice to get out of the house to see friends and catch up.  Because honestly I spent most of my 24th week tired and exhausted at home.

Saturday the 14th, Justin and I took a 4 hour infant care class.  The class included teaching about how to bathe a baby properly, diapering, feeding, CPR, what they do to the baby in the hospital after it is born and some other bits of information.  Was the class informative?  Well, you know I am a detailed perfectionist, so in my opinion it wasn't that great.  Why?  Well the nurse instructor was an idiot.  I'm sorry, but the first sentences out of her mouth were that she hadn't been around babies in years because her youngest child was 11 years old.  I mean why would you say that and why are you teaching this class then??  And every question anyone asked, she didn't know the answer and just had this blank stare/smile on her face.  Oh, and that's another thing, 4 out of the 6 couples in the class seemed CLUELESS as well and asked the stupidest questions that anyone could answer!!  ANYONE!!  Even someone with no baby experience could answer!!  One stupid guy even asked 2 questions and answered the question himself before he had even finished asking the questions!!  So needless to say the stupidity in this room was running rampant!  I mean... have none of these couples picked up a book or gotten online or asked friends anything about pregnancy or babies!!??  What did I get out of the class you ask?  Well, I realized that Justin and I are WAY more prepared and informed than most out there, so that gave me a sense of peace.  We also thought the CPR portion was informative.  I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I think the 2 of us could have taught the class better.

Sunday the 15th marked the start of my 25th week of pregnancy.  I spent the day working on things in the nursery and running errands.  Monday I got to have another wonderful pregnancy massage with Gary.  Is Gary as good as the lady in Colorado?  Sorry to say, but no he isn't.  But it still felt amazing and really seems to help my lower back, hips, legs and feet.  After the massage I also went for my weekly chiropractor adjustment which also is really helping the pain in my heels and my back.

Tuesday of the past week I interviewed the second pediatrician on our list of recommendations.  She is also middle eastern, but her accent is only slight, so she is very easy to understand.  Justin couldn't go on this interview, so I was on my own to form an opinion.  This doctor was younger than the first, and much more spunky, happy, laughing and overall just seemed to have more energy.  I loved her views and opinions on things and she also seemed very knowledgeable and works with many sets of twins and triplets.  So based on these 2 so far I like her the best.  2 down, 2 to go before we make a decision.

Wednesday we had our 2 week doctor appointment and ultrasound.  When I got there I was informed that I would be doing my glucose tolerance test this time in order to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes.  They gave me this super sweet fruit punch flavored drink (which tasted like hawaiian punch with too much sugar).  I drank it in a few gulps and I was told I would have my blood drawn 1 hour from that time.  In the meantime we began the ultrasound with another new tech.   I told her right away that I couldn't lay flat on my back because I would either pass out or throw up.  She said that was fine and I switched back and forth from side to side throughout the ultrasound.  This checkup we were due for a growth report on the babies, so the ultrasound takes longer because they have to do all of the measurements several times to get an average and then multiply that times 2.  I felt like she was pushing really hard on my belly with the ultrasound thingy and I knew I was going to be sore tomorrow.  More on that later...  She also checked their heartbeats and said they look great and strong.  And I was shocked at how big the babies are measuring.....Baby A is weighing 1 lb 13 oz, and Baby B is weighing 1 lb 15 oz, so they are both right under 2 lbs.  That means they have both gained 14 oz or about a pound in a month!  WOW, they are growing fast! The ultrasound tech also said that both of their thigh bones are measuring in the 80th percentile for length, so it looks like we are going to have 2 tall supermodels on our hands!! Ha ha!

On to the doctor portion of the appointment.  He said everything looks great and couldn't be any better!!  Well that is except for the fact that I only gained 1 lb in 2 weeks, for a total weight gain of 12 lbs.  Again, though he said he can't complain too much because the babies are big and healthy, but he just wishes I could gain more.  We again discussed my aversion to most foods and just not being hungry, and still having slight nausea some evenings.  The nurse then came in and took my blood for the glucose testing, and also tested for some other things like Iron levels as well.  Justin held my hand and I didn't waiver or even cry.  Guess I am getting braver at this needle stuff after all.  I then asked the doctor about my joint pain in my fingers which seems to be getting worse.  It is very hard to make a fist and grabbing things and writing is a little difficult.  He said it was common for women to get carpal tunnel when pregnant.  Great! He said we would keep an eye on it and if it continues to get worse he will give me little wrap braces to wear on my arms.  Ummm, I don't know about that, but we will see if the pain gets worse.   People already stare at pregnant women like me as it is, so I'm not sure I need another reason for them staring at me.  I also told him about my back pain which he said is also quite normal and to continue with the massages and chiropractor adjustments.  (I forgot to mention my chiropractor also mentioned these belly wrap things that help with lower back support, which I think I am going to get).  I also expressed my concern to him again about being scared to deliver these babies either vaginally or c-section, but my biggest fear was having both, which is referred to as a double whammy.  He reassured me that he doesn't believe that both are necessary in most cases and has a very low rate of having to perform both.  After our discussion and some other things he said I think I am totally leaning towards a c-section and he said he is ok with whatever decision I make.  The last thing he did was had me lean back like usual to feel my belly and measure it.  And I think I have mentioned before he pokes really hard on the lower outer sides of my belly and it hurts because it is very tender there.  Then he measured my belly and it is measuring..........34cm!!  yes, that's right I am measuring at the belly of a 34 week woman having 1 baby!  Wow, crazy!!

Thursday was tough because I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach a bunch of times.  It was super sore and hurt to move around a lot.  I am sure it was a combination of the doctor poking and the ultrasound.  But I was super excited because the nursery furniture got delivered!!  Yay!!  It looks amazing, except for the fact that one of the cribs has a defective screw housing, that I am now working on getting fixed next week by the manufactors service tech.  I sat in the room for quite awhile after it was delivered just staring at it, because it made things feel even more real.  I'm so excited to start the decorating in there!

Friday my belly was still pretty sore, so I didn't do much, but I did walk in the nursery about 50 times because it actually looks like a nursery now with the cribs in it!  Crazy!  Can't believe it!  Yesterday, Justin and I ran some more errands for house and baby things to cross off our list and then last night we had our maternity photo shoot.  I was really nervous at first (not sure why), that's just how I am.  We actually had the same photographer who did our wedding do the shoot.  She will also do all of our newborn and first year pictures.  I had forgotten how amazing she is and what a fun, kind, vibrant personality she has until she walked in the door last night.  And right away my nerves went away, and for 2 hours around our house and at the park down the street she took the most amazing pictures!  I am just so excited to capture this time in our lives and I can't wait to see the pictures because I know they will be amazing!  I will definitely share once we get them from her.

Oh and I got my blood test results back on Friday afternoon and I DON"T have diabetes!!  Yay!!  My level was 132 which is completely in the normal range.  She said my iron levels were slightly low and that is normal for twin pregnancies, but not low enough yet that I need to do anything.  She said in probably a month I will start taking iron supplements.  Add another pill to the mix! (I already take 8 pills a day)

Whew......and that brings me to today which is the beginning of my 26th week of pregnancy.  Can you believe the babies could be here in as few as 10 weeks??  Wow, time is flying when I say that out loud.

I have lots of pictures to share this week.  Enjoy!

Last week's belly photo.  Babies are the size of cauliflowers

Another shot of my big ol' belly

A close shot of Baby A's face

Profile of Baby A

Another profile of Baby A

Baby B is much harder to get pictures of because she moves so much, but here is an alien shot of her face.

Yay, the cribs and gliders are here!  Let the decorating begin!

A shot of the gray glider.  The other glider will go in our living room.

I have to include an adorable pic of my handsome hubby and my furry babies posing.  And no I didn't pose them like this or even use dog treats!

Babies are the size of heads of lettuce weighing just under 2 lbs each

Wow, it looks bigger just compared to a week ago!

  

How far along?  26 weeks today

Total weight gain/loss:  12lbs gained, all belly thank goodness!

Maternity clothes:  Yes, and I am learning you have to buy all new clothes for the third trimester, ugh!

Stretch marks?  Nope, so far smooth sailing!

Sleep:  I have had 2 good nights in a row, but other nights this past week I tossed and turned all night because my back hurt

Best moment this week:  The nursery furniture arriving!

Miss Anything?  Moving faster.  I feel like I walk slower, move slower, and I miss my body not aching

Movement:  Crazy movement!  Loving it!

Food cravings?  Ugh, still nothing crazy!

Anything making you queasy or sick:   Yes, still lots of things

Labor Signs:  Nope!  Please hold off for 10 more weeks!

 

Belly Button in or out?  Totally out and proud

Wedding rings on or off?  Fake one is on

Happy or Moody most of the time:   I would say happy!  Hoping people around me would say the same

Weekly Wisdom:   I am more knowledgable than I give myself credit for, and I shouldn't doubt my ability so much that I won't know what to do when the babies get here.

Looking forward to:   My mom coming in town on Friday and my first of 2 baby showers on Saturday!  Yay!  

Much love

Jenny & Justin +5

I've made it to the 6 month pregnancy mark!!

6 months pregnant!!

Can you believe it!!?? Wow, what a journey these 6 months have been and I'm sure the journey will only continue to get more interesting, exciting, scary, and realistic.  Sometimes I still wake up in the morning and forget I am pregnant until I turn back the covers and see my huge belly.

I spent this week trying to hibernate from the unbearable heat outside, but knowing me at all, you know I didn't do that very well.  Our handyman was over 2 days to work on refinishing and painting the dresser and side table for the nursery and other frames and odd jobs as well.  And I must say the furniture looks amazing!! I will share some pictures below.  The cribs and gliders/ottomans should be arriving in the next week or so and I can't wait to have all the main elements of the nursery done!!

I felt extremely tired all week, but I think at least half of that tiredness is attributed to the over 100 degree temperatures everyday!  I have also been having these brief moments of what I can only describe as a 2 second rush of excitement/anxiety.  It happens about 10 times a day and kinda freaks me out a little, but as I learned from our appointment it is most likely due to all the extra blood pumping through my body.  Good to know it is normal and I'm not having a heart attack or a panic attack.

We headed to our 2 week doctor appointment and ultrasound on Thursday.  First, was the ultrasound with the new tech Shana.  We started like normal by measuring my cervix length, which you want to be long and mine looks extra long which is awesome considering many women have problems with it shortening with twins.  (Shortening btw is bad because it means you can go into labor or start dilating early).   After that she started doing the usual checks of each baby and about 3 minutes in I started to get nauseous, light-headed, and clammy.  She stopped and I sat up immediately and it continued to get worse.  I thought I was going to fall on the floor and pass out.  Justin held my hand to stable me and put a cold rag on my neck and after about 5 minutes of sitting up I started to feel better.  She said this is very common with twins because the angle of the table puts the babies in such a position that they are compressing either my spine or some sort of blood flow.  She had me lay on my left side and continued the ultrasound that way, which was much more comfortable for me and I didn't feel bad at all.  She said from now on just remind her and we can try to do the majority of my ultrasounds on my sides so that this doesn't happen again.  Thank goodness because it was starting to freak me out and also make me mad because the ultrasounds are where we get to see the babies moving and it is so comforting and neat to watch.  But this sick, pass out feeling was really putting a damper on these moments.  

Anyway, we headed to see the nurse practitioner after that.  And I must say if I haven't said it before, we really really like her.  She is super down to earth and easy to talk to.  I kinda wish she was the doctor, but hey I'm just grateful I get to see her every other visit.  She said everything in the ultrasound looks great and I had gained another 3lbs over the last 2 weeks, which puts me at a total weight gain of 11lbs.  I sure feel like it is much more than that, but as she said everything I am gaining is in my belly, which is why I feel like it is more because all I can see is my belly.  Ok, yes I am grateful it is all belly!  I had some strange, gross and unusual questions for her this time, and I won't go into detail on here, but I just have to say some very weird and gross things happen when you are pregnant and apparently they are totally normal!!! Scary!! There is a reason pregnant women don't tell women who haven't been pregnant about these things because it would make you think twice.  So these are things you must just experience on your own, enough said!  She also agreed that my being extra tired was due to having 2 babies in there, and the extreme heat and there really isn't much I can do other than relax and sleep.  She measured my belly and it is measuring 31 weeks!!  (it is measured in centimeters by the way, not inches like I thought before). Soooo, that means I am measuring about 2 months ahead, WOW!! She said this is still normal and since I am all belly, it makes sense that it would be measuring so far ahead.  I am just super grateful that everything is progressing normally and there is nothing to worry about at this point.

Justin and I got a couples massage on Saturday and it felt so good on my tired aching body.  But, this lady had a lot to live up to after my amazing massage in Colorado, and did she?? Nope, not even close, but it still felt really good.  

Last night, Saturday, as I was laying in bed about 10:30pm trying to get comfortable and fall asleep Baby A started kicking and was totally awake and so I couldn't exactly fall asleep.  Then she woke Baby B up and Baby B was going crazy flipping and moving.  I put my hand on my belly and it was sooooo strange, cool,and bizarre to feel the strong movements and wave-like motions with my hand, but not only that......I turned on the light and you could see Baby B moving through my skin like an alien trying to escape my belly.  I woke Justin up because I didn't want him to miss it since it was the first time I had felt or seen such dramatic strong movements.  He was in awwww as well and we both just stared at my stomach for like 5 minutes watching the waves.  We both laughed at one point and said it reminded us of that alien thing from the movie total recall, ha ha ha!  

Well the weather is supposed to finally start going back down to the low 90's and 80's this next week and I am super excited about that!!  Hopefully my ankles and fingers will enjoy it as well and not be so sausage-like.  

Here are my belly pictures, ultrasound photos, and some nursery update pictures as well.  Enjoy!

Babies are the size of cantaloupes!  They are getting big!

How far along?   24 weeks or 6 months!!

Total weight gain/loss:  11 lbs gained total

Stretch marks?  Nope!!  Please stay away!

Sleep:   Still about the same, sometimes yes, sometimes no

Best moment this week:  Seeing the babies faces on the screen so clear and the alien movements coming out of my belly

Miss Anything?   Having energy

Movement:   Yes, like crazy visible from the outside and getting stronger on the inside

Food cravings?  Burger King chocolate milkshakes

Anything making you queasy or sick:   Been having some nauseousness again at night, ugh!

Have you started to show yet:  Umm, strangers are asking me if the baby is coming soon, so I think I must look like I am close to popping

Labor Signs:   Nope not yet

Belly Button in or out?   Fully out, no more hiding it or denying it

Wedding rings on or off?  Off, fake one on sometimes

Happy or Moody most of the time:   Happy, but tired

Weekly Wisdom:   Oh, I have to wisdom this week because the heat sucked everything out of me.  Hoping that means I will have lots next week!

Looking forward to:   More nursery decorating and organizing, sleep and more sleep....Zzzzzz

Here is a side view picture looking at the tops of both of the babies heads.  

A cute profile picture of Baby A.  The worm thing in the top middle is the umbilical cord.

Look closely in the middle of the screen and you can see Baby A's face.  Forehead is on the left.

A footprint

Baby B's face.  Baby A's foot is on the far right the then you see Baby B's forehead, eyes, nose and mouth.  Very cool!  Can't decide who she looks like??

Here is the dresser that we (I mean my handyman Jerry) refinished.  I love it!!  I still need to paint the handles and put them back on, but so far so good.

Here is what it looked like before.  Thanks Gabby!!

The side table that will go next to the glider.  Used to be an old sewing table.

Heading to bed!  Night Night!

Jenny & Justin +5

One hot and dry climate to the next

I spent my last 2 days in Denver on Tuesday and Wednesday mostly relaxing because it was over 100 degrees both days and really dry and ok, maybe my mom and I did a little shopping at the mall and online, which is still considered relaxing right? Retail therapy!  He he!  I continued to be quite swollen both days especially my ankles.  I flew back to STL on Wednesday in what seemed like the never ending plane ride home.  We had over an hour delay on the runway and then major turbulence about the first 20 minutes of the flight.  I fly a lot, but I am a nervous flyer and I am the first person to be white knuckling my swollen sausage fingers around the arm rests.  The lady sitting next to me seemed quite nervous about the turbulence as well and wasn't making me feel any less stressed about it.   In fact, her expressions were freaking me out even more.  Ugh, just get me back to STL in one piece!  And with a 1.5 hour delay I made it back and managed not to throw up on the way.

Thursday I woke up in my own bed and discovered my swelling had gone back to St. Louis type swelling, not high-altitude Denver swelling.  I'll take it!  But it was weird because my joints in my fingers and knuckles felt arthritic and sore, like I would imagine an old lady's fingers to feel.  The joint pain has stuck around and isn't too big of a deal, but it is just hard to do certain things with my fingers or anything where I have to bend my knuckles.  Pregnancy is strange people!

It continues to be hotter than hell here in STL and very dry.  Although I would have liked to have stayed inside more than I did this week and weekend and hibernate I couldn't because we had errands to run and then Justin's cousin's high school graduation party Saturday evening and then Justin's family threw him a college graduation party on Sunday afternoon.  Both events were really fun and it was great to see all of his family on both sides whom we haven't seen in quite some months.  And I have to admit the pregnant lady attention is fun!  And I really don't seem to mind people touching my belly.  Some people have told me it bothers them when people touch their belly, but for me it is more like a cool connection thing that seems to bring me closer to people.  But, I haven't had a stranger trying to touch my belly yet, so that might be a whole different experience.

Last night, Sunday evening, I had something strange happen.  We had spent over 5 hours at Justin's party and came home after 6pm.  I was very tired and just feeling drained from everything..... talking, walking, being around lots of people, the heat, ya know everything!  And about 9pm I'm sitting on the couch and I start balling crying.  Justin looks at me very concerned and asks me several times why I am crying and what is wrong.  All I could say was, I don't know over and over.  And honestly, I had no idea why I was crying.  It was the strangest thing!  I couldn't stop crying and catch my breath.  This went on for at least 15 minutes.  Then I stopped crying, we went downstairs to take my weekly picture (hence the reason I look sad in my pictures this week), and then we headed to bed.  I woke up this morning still with no idea why I had been crying.  Again, pregnancy is strange people!

Sooo, how am I feeling overall.  Pretty good I have to say.  There are many little things that I am just getting used to as past of this process like tiredness, joint pain, swelling, random crying episodes, random throwing up episodes, and not being able to bend over without feeling like I am going to pass out.  (Yes, shaving my legs has become very interesting!)  Ha ha, sounds great doesn't it!  But really honestly again I would take all these things in a heartbeat versus having nausea!!  So no complaints here, but I will say this continues to be the most unique process I have ever experienced, but I am grateful because in the end I know we will have our 2 little girls!

Here are my pictures from this week:

Babies are the size and weight of grapefruits.  Sorry about my sad, red crying face!

Without the hand

Justin's graduation party at the bowling alley

How far along?  23 weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  8 lbs+ as of our last appt

Stretch marks?  Nope

Sleep:  Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes I wake up at 530am for no reason

Best moment this week:   Visiting my mom, and seeing my ankle go down to half the size it was in Colorado

Miss Anything?   Cute shoes, rolling out of bed with ease, having an alcoholic drink at parties

Movement:  Yes, all the time especially in the evenings

Food cravings?  Burger King chocolate milk shakes, who knew they were better than McDonalds or Steak and Shake!!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Broccoli...Yuck!, Justin I hoped you learned your lesson about cooking it in the house, he he!

Labor Signs:  No, not for at least 12-13 more weeks!

Belly Button in or out?  Half way out, ok more than half way out I just don't want to admit it cause it makes me sad

Wedding rings on or off?  Off and the fake one is getting tighter, ahhh!!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, except for my random crying episodes

Weekly Wisdom:   Don't visit Colorado if you are pregnant.  Don't get me wrong I loved visiting, but the swelling was out of control!

Looking forward to:  Our handyman coming this week to work on the nursery furniture and room.  Our furniture arriving in the next couple weeks!

Jenny & Justin +5