Addiction

I thought I had a problem buying clothes before I was pregnant - but man - I can't stop myself now that I'm pregnant!! I'm hoping once my closet starts looking fuller then I'll slow down.  Here's my shipment from ON - thanks to the 30% off sale, I just couldn't say no!! 

11 weeks!!!

We are almost - almost - into the second trimester and I cannot wait.  Nor can I believe the first trimester is almost done! Seriously, time flies when you're pregnant!!  This week the babies are just over 2 inches long and roughly the size of limes!  Their little bodies are starting to straighten out and they are forming fingernails and hair follicles (please, please, please have great hair!).  The babies fingers and toes are no longer webbed and cool things like ears forming their final shapes, nose passages opening and the tongue developing are happening!

How far along: 11w0d

Total weight gain: I haven't checked, but I had an appointment this week and the doctor didn't say anything - so I must be on track. 

Maternity clothes: Just made another order - my closet is finally big enough where I don't have to wear the same thing twice in a week! 

Stretch marks: Nope, but it's got to be coming, right?  I mean my belly is getting huge!!    

Sleep: Still getting up at least once a night - but I'm starting to be able to stay awake for a bit longer at night! Last night I made it to 8:30 - which is huge because I've been going to bed at 7/7:30ish for the last 10 weeks!   

Best moment of this week: Seeing our bubs!! It was absolutely amazing and I just can't wait for the next time! 

Miss anything: Not aching at the end of the day - by 4 o'clock my body just starts aching all over and it makes it hard to get around sometimes. 

Movement: I'm not feeling it - but one of the babes was spinning around and doing flips during the u/s - the other was sleeping! Lol 

Food cravings: Orange juice and cupcakes.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Thankfully (knock on wood!) - I think I'm over that for now!!  I've been morning sickness free for a week!!! 

Have you started to show yet: Absolutely!  

Gender: Not yet - but, the doctor said we might be able to tell at our next appointment when I'll be 16 weeks!

Labor signs: N/a   

Belly button in or out: In thank goodness!

Wedding rings on or off: On - but now, even with the bigger wedding band on, are becoming tight.  Not looking forward to having to take them off all together. 

Happy or moody most of the time: Really, really happy!! Things are progressing wonderfully.

Looking forward to: The weekend - I can't wait to sleep in!!

Today I learned...

Today I learned an important lesson...

Waiting to pee when you're pregnant is not a good idea.  Even if it's only for a few minutes so you don't miss something on TV.  Don't wait.  It's not going to end well.

10w4d appointment

Well, we've hit a milestone! We had our first "you're outta the woods" appointment!  Apparently, because we have seen strong heartbeats and the twins are growing on track, our risk of anything happening at this point is down to 3%.  That's 1% more than the chance all women have of miscarrying at any point (not just first tri) during pregnancy.  What a huge sigh of relief! Also, in the past two or three days I've been really worried about something known as Vanishing Twin Syndrom (VTS) and our OB said we are well past that as well!  We are officially having TWO babies!!  Okay, we we've officially been having two babies for almost 11 weeks - but now I believe it!

So, onto the visit.  The babies are absolutely perfect!!  I might be partial - but seriously - one baby measure one day ahead of the game and the other measured just one day behind and they both had heartbeats in the 160's!  We are beyond thrilled!  It was really quite funny because one baby was just so laid back and slept through the appointment and the other baby was flipping and dancing all around.   Already so different and they are just 10.5 weeks old!!  We were able to see arms, legs, heads and spinal cords! Everything important was right where it needed to be!!

Our next appointment will be May 28th - and luckily - my mom will be here for that appointment!  The OB said that there is a small chance that they will be able to tell the gender at this appointment (15.5 weeks) but I'm not holding my breath...okay, I am!  It would be so great to know what we were having so early in the game!!

That's about it from the appointment.   My blood pressure was a bit high and so we'll monitor that - but everything else checked out as normal!  Here's to another healthy and "normal" 5 weeks until the next appointment!

What's happening: 10 Weeks

Today I have completed week 10 and I start working on week 11!!  The twins are the size of prunes right now!  I wish they were likened to something a little bit cuter - but hey, what can you do?  The twins are about 1.2 inches long right now - but they will more than double in the next three weeks!! That's a lot of growing!! The two have working arms and according to The Bump they are developing cartilage and bones now!  Ohhh - and fingernails and hair have started growing!!  Lots going on this week - grow babies, grow!!!

How far along: 10w0d

Total weight gain: Still not looking...

Maternity clothes: Absolutely, my pre-pregnancy pants will slip on but there is no zipping at all!   

Stretch marks: Not yet, I bought Burt's Bees Belly Cream though - so I need to start using that just to make sure my skin is ready for the really big growth that's about to happen.   

Sleep: Getting up about once a night right now - exhausted all day though.   

Best moment of this week: Getting over food poisoning! I was so sick and miserable - and worried for the twins.  

Miss anything: Wine - still.  Especially when I have a rough day at work - it'd be nice to come home and have a glass of wine.  Oh, and exercise! Come on week 14 get here so I can start swimming again!

Movement: Too early for that just yet.  

Food cravings: Not this week as I've been so sick.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells in the kitchen - and the smell of socks.  

Have you started to show yet: I have a tiny twin bump now! 

Gender: I have a feeling we're working with at least one girl in there! I did read that 40% of fraternal twins are boy/girl!! 

Labor signs: No way - and I'll take that.   

Belly button in or out: In thank goodness!

Wedding rings on or off: Same as last week: Engagement ring on - I changed my wedding band though.  My original (which I miss more than anything) was a bit on the tight side to start with - I've thought about sizing it but I don't want to have to size it again after I give birth. My hands and feet are swollen at the moment.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy - I've only been mood a handful of times - and after it passes I try to make my apologies very quickly.  I feel so guilty about it!  

Looking forward to: TUESDAY!!!!!! It's our first visit with the OBGYN who will be delivering the twins - and we are supposed to get an u/s which thrills me b/c I'm so worried after having food poisoning!!

10weeks - apparently I need to start working on lighting!

You want me to put that where?!? A lesson in perspective.

Yesterday I was the sickest I've ever been in my entire life.  I won't go into to many details other than the fact that from about midnight to 11am stuff was coming out everywhere!  I curled up into a ball many times and cried myself to sleep.  It was horrible.  I ended up speaking to my doctor who prescribed me two extra strength medications to help with everything and was told that if it didn't work by 2pm I'd need to go to the hospital.  Thankfully, the husband was able to leave work and pick up the medications.  He handed them to me and was off.

I was eager to get these miracle drugs in me until I opened the packaging.  Right there on the front of the package it directed me to insert it...and not in my mouth.  All of a sudden started talking myself into being better - "you don't need this, you're better already!" The instant this thought went through my head I ran to the bathroom to throw up.  Yep, definitely still needed the medications.  I cried - well, more of a wimper - again thinking about what I was about to do.

Then, it hit me.  I can do this.  My body is making two - count them - two humans! In just six short months I will be delivering these babies - and no matter how it goes it's going to be more painful and awkward than this.  After that I'm probably going to have to be doing some other gross stuff (like sucking snot outta their noses with a pump) after the birth.  So - this little dose of medication, in the grand scheme of things, is nothing!

You'll all be proud to know (or grossed out) that I did in fact go ahead with the medication - actually twice!  And it was a miracle.  I really think it's what enabled me to get fluids in and avoid the hospital.  Am I still sick? Yeah, my stomach is weak and I'm exhausted - but I can get fluids in and eat small things like crackers and  yogurt.  I'm still worried about the twins - and all they had to endure yesterday - but the nurse assures me they should be fine.  And after all of that, somehow, I feel a little bit more ready to be a mother.

"Just Wait"

This was a brilliant blog by another mother...

Joy or "Just Wait"?

Couldn't help but to share...

Disappearing weekends...

9weeks2days

It might just be me, but I feel like weekends just disappear with the blink of an eye when you're pregnant! Perhaps it's because I spend so much of my time in bed trying to catch up on rest during the weekend.

I'm actually quite proud of myself as this weekend I did quite a bit.  First, the (wonderful) husband took me to breakfast at one of my favorite local diners since I could finally stomach the idea of food for once!  It scares me a bit that my nausea has disappeared, but I'm trying not to focus on it, and get in as much food/nutrients as I can while it lasts.  After breakfast he agreed to walk around stores with me looking at baby stuff.  We ended up getting two more books for the twin's library - it's the only thing right now that I feel comfortable buying as it's not related to gender at all.  These two are going to have one heck of a library early on!

After our little buy for the twins I talked the husband into going to the mall with me so I could look at some maternity clothing...yeah, yeah, I'm only 9 weeks - I couldn't possibly be showing, right? Well, when's the last time you carried twins?!  Just as the doctor told me - I've started to "pop" a bit earlier than others would and my clothes just don't fit anymore.  Anyway!! Thankfully the ladies at Motherhood were amazing and I was able to find some clothes that fit and were somewhat stylish (Hey, Jessica Simpson - your clothes are adorbs - but really, $70 for a sweater!? Not happening!) and well priced.  Unfortunately, I'm pretty much building a whole new wardrobe - so I was in receipt shock for a good part of the afternoon - as I said, the husband is amazing and didn't even blink an eye!! Love him!!

After that I was spent.  I'm trying to keep myself on a 2-3 hour eating schedule but that shopping trip took it out of me and my blood sugar dropped quickly after swiping the debit card (coincidence?!).  Off to Panera for a quick juice and cookie...disaster avoided!  Later we went to dinner at HuHot, which just opened in town, and then to a friend's house for a movie.  See - it was a busy day!!! So, needless to say, the second I got home I crashed for the night.

Today has been spent much more low-key.  A quick jaunt to the store for lunch & dinner stuff (we're having chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce & broccoli!! Yum!) skype/facetime with family and I've spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and watching TV.  Amazingly enough - I'm spent - again! I could take a nap right now but I know I'd never get to sleep tonight and it'd make for a miserable day tomorrow - so here I am blogging.

I only have about 1 more week to go until I see the twins again - I cannot wait!  I've thought about ordering a fetal doppler online so I can hear their heartbeats at home - but know I'd be using it ever 5 minutes and it'd cause more anxiety than it'd be helpful.  I just worry - which I guess is a natural part of becoming a mom...I just can't wait to see them again!!

Week 9: Olives

Today the twins have reached new heights! They are no longer referred to as "embryos" but instead have earned the fabulous new status of "fetus"! Way to go bubs! They should each be roughly .9 inches long and weigh roughly .07 ounces.  Pretty cool/weird, huh?  This week the twins will work on developing the facial features we will all fall in love with as soon as we actually get to see them! The doctors should also be able to find their heartbeats via fetal doppler (you don't even want to know how they had to find it last time!) which will happen on April 23!  I can't wait to hear their little hearts again - the first time was such a blur since I had just been told we were having twins and was in shock.  I'd like to hear their little hearts and be able to enjoy it this time!

All of this information about the size and what's developing came from The Bump - so if you'd like to learn more, or see what cool things the twins will be up to in week 10 (or further) feel free to check it out.  The site is very informative and the "yuck factor", aka super medical stuff/terms, is kept to a minimum unless you go searching for it!

I couldn't resist...

What's happening: 9 weeks...

I'm going to do a weekly check-in each week to document changes/progress.  I will typically do them on Fridays - I just couldn't wait to do it this time! 

How far along: 8w6d - 9 weeks tomorrow! 

Total weight gain: Not checking at this point... 

Maternity clothes: Yep, maxi skirts and dresses mostly.  I have some maternity tops too as my bump finally popped just enough where my regular shirts were stretching in all the wrong places.  

Stretch marks: Nope - although I'm going to pick up some Palmers lotion this weekend at the suggestion of a coworker.  

Sleep: Getting up 1-2 times each night to pee - but other than that I'm sleeping like a log.  I'm requiring a lot more sleep than usual to function too - 10 hours will cut it but 11-12 is best.  

Best moment of this week: Finally feeling like I'm pregnant due to seeing my bump starting to show just a little bit. 

Miss anything: Wine - and the ability to eat whatever I want.  It's not the restrictions on things that bother me, more the nausea that dictates what I can physically eat w/out getting sick.   

Movement: Too early for that just yet.  

Food cravings: All of my cravings come and go but so far it has included: Cheeseburgers, sour jelly bellys & sour gummy worms, cake, Dr Pepper (very strange for me) and yogurt.  

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yep, depending on the day it could be anything - mostly when the husband cooks steak. 

Have you started to show yet: Just a tiny bit. 

Gender: It's too early for all of that - but I have a feeling there is at least 1 girl in there.  

Labor signs: No - thank goodness.  

Belly button in or out: In 

Wedding rings on or off: Engagement ring on - I changed my wedding band though.  My original (which I miss more than anything) was a bit on the tight side to start with - I've thought about sizing it but I don't want to have to size it again after I give birth. My hands and feet are swollen at the moment.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy - I've only been mood a handful of times - and after it passes I try to make my apologies very quickly.  I feel so guilty about it!  

Looking forward to: Our next ultrasound - it seems like time is just dragging in that respect.

8 weeks & 3 days

The Beginning

My life is being measured in weeks and days at the moment.  Every morning my mind mentally recalculates the amount of weeks and days I’ve been pregnant before I even get out of bed.  The big days are when the weeks change over.  For example, when I went from 7wk6d to 8wk0d I was so excited – we were that much closer to our 37wk goal and finally seeing our twins.

Twins. Yep, you read that right.  My lovely husband and I are having twins! That’s two babies at once!! We don’t even have one baby yet – so hearing the news of having two at once was quite the shock!  The feeling of shock I went through lasted for a good week or so.  You see, the whole time trying to get pregnant I had teased the husband that we were going to have twins – and it’d be wonderful.  He’d freak out and I would laugh and say we could handle it.  So, when the ultrasound tech confirmed that we were, indeed, having twins I wasn’t expecting to feel shocked.  As a matter of fact, the husband and I switched roles – he became instantly excited upon seeing/hearing the heartbeats and I entered a foggy world of shock.

Being the super Type-A personality I am – and loving to read about everything possible, I got on Amazon and purchased three books about twins. Two long days of feeling guilty about not being “over the moon” as most moms-to-be report to be later – they arrived.  I’m not sure what made me read them in the order that I did, but I’m glad I did.  The first book I read in a matter of an hour – I devoured the information – and in that hour I calmed down.  The book said I was in what is called “Twin Shock.” Apparently this shock is very special to parents of multiples and can happen at two different times 1) When you find out you are pregnant 2) When the babies are born.  I’m glad I got to deal with it early on!  Thankfully, I am now out of Twin Shock – and I have started to get really excited!!

That is the basic recap of what has happened so far.   I’ve decided to start this blog to help me process my thoughts throughout this pregnancy. Also, we live so far away from so many of our friends and family that I would like to provide a way so that they can check in on what’s up with the twins whenever they would like without clogging up their newsfeeds on Facebbook.