Chronic Hypertension & Pregnancy....

All day I've had this headache that just won't quit.  It's not really unusual for me these days.  In fact, it's one of the reasons we'll be delivering the girls early.  Well, I took my BP this morning, afternoon and now tonight.  It's been progressively going up all day until I got the reading you see pictured above.

Annoying.  My doctor said I could have my hour out of bed every 3-4 hours as long as I could keep my numbers in the "prehypertension" range.  I suspect she'd like it to be in the normal range - but they haven't been there this entire pregnancy.  If my numbers went into hypertension - then I don't get my hour out of bed.

So, here we are - serious hypertension. Back in bed, horizontally, and being pissy.  I'm to check my numbers again in 20-30 minutes and if they don't go down a bit then I'm to go to L&D.  Which, honestly, I don't really want to do.  1) My numbers are usually low enough when I get there that they aren't concerned.  2) I hate the monitor belt they make you wear.  My belly is too big for them and they slip right off.  3) They keep you there for hours on end.

I'm over this chronic hypertension (not pre-e anymore b/c I don't spill protein into my urine - I just have all the other symptoms).  Bring on Thursday!!

Bump protector...

Cat Cat on bump duty...

Last pregnancy comment??

One can hope, right?  I have six days left and so I should be nearing the end of comments about my size/shape/waddle etc.

Today's came from my cleaning lady - whom I absolutely love as she's really the only social interaction I have all week (aside from A & Bax).

Cleaning lady:  Wow!! You're stomach is even bigger now! You've seriously grown since last week!!

Umm...isn't that what's supposed to happen when you're pregnant? You get bigger and bigger b/c your baby is growing?

Perhaps I'm being ultra-sensitive b/c I'm nearly the end of my pregnancy and I'm guessing my hormones are raging.  Or, perhaps it's because I miss the 2nd trimester when everybody says how fabulous you look (even if they quantify it with "for having twins!") all the time.

I don't know.  But, I'll be happy to not have people comment on my size anymore.  I'm big, I get it. I'm starting to have a complex about it - that's how big I am.  I know it's all well-meaning, and I'm not really "upset" about the comments...I just want somebody who doesn't know me (i.e. who doesn't read this blog) to say, "Damn girl! You look great today!!" Or some variation of that...

Nursery time!

Pictures are huge to me - I absolutely love looking at pictures throughout time.  In fact, when I go home to my parents house, one of my favorite things to do is spend an afternoon looking through old pictures.   There is something about pictures - they capture our history, the love (and sometimes annoyance) we have for one another, the 'sign of the times', and most importantly - they tell our stories.

So, Allan and I recently got a new camera so that I could document the girls lives with something other than my iPhone.  I've been spending my time on bed rest (well, for the last few days) trying to learn how to use this camera.  My subjects are limited.  In fact, so far it's been Bax.  So, yesterday, I moved on to taking pictures of the nursery.  Here's what I came up with:

I made this mobile a few months ago after
discovering I hated any mobile under $100
and there was no way I was paying that!

Quilts and cribs.  Everything x2!
These are the gorgeous quilts my mom
made for the girls. 

Just another view of the cribs.  I love them!

These are the first stuffed animals that the girls received - twin
snow owls!  Allan's mother bought them for the girls
in Vegas when we first found out we were pregnant. 

Books, toys and more stuffed animals!  This
shelf was an absolute pain to put together - but
I love the way it looks. 

Even though A laughs at me - I wanted something "Scottish" in the
girls nursery w/out it being in-your-face Scottish. - to represent his culture.
Baby Highland Cows are SO cute!! 

My favorite part of the nursery - the Pottery Barn chair
I found on super clearance at a local surplus store! 

This is the spot Bax loves to sleep in the afternoon.  He
can see right into the cribs - I have a feeling he is going
to be more protective over the girls than anything. 

34 weeks...

**Warning** This is quite possibly the last weekly update of this pregnancy.  I have it on good authority that we will likely be delivering the girls next week on Thursday evening!!!!

Finally, the Pregnant Chicken is back in action - and I don't have to do another obscure fruit this week!! As the girls are roughly 5lbs this week (mine are a bit ahead of that) PC relates it to carrying around a bag of sugar in your belly. Well, you know the drill by now, since I have twins make that two bags of sugar!! Next time you're in the grocery store, grab two bags of sugar, using a scarf to tie them to your belly, and walk around - you'll get an idea of how I'm feeling these days.  Nobody will look at you funny, I promise!! Lol

The big development this week? The girls are starting to recognize songs - TheBump says I should start singing to them.  Well, I don't want to torture them already, so I'll be slapping some bellybuds on this week and playing some music.  Also, they are beginning to pee up to a pint (again, multiply that by 2!!) of urine a day!! EW!

Total weight gain: I didn't look this week.  It's not going to be good, I'm sure. 

Maternity clothes: I've been living in yoga pants and tank tops - and my new maternity hoodie which is beyond dirty at this point!! 

Stretch marks: The ones ones on my hips are multiplying like rabbits!! Seriously, there are almost as many as on my belly at this point. 

Sleep: What, what is that!?  Seriously, I'm up about every 45 min to hour.  People keep telling me to "enjoy your sleep while you can," but I have no clue what they're referring - at this point there is very little sleep happening. 

Best moment of this week: Saw the girls, they are still healthy and we were given a due date!!

Miss anything: Italian sandwich w/ salami!! Mmmm!

Movement: When they do move, it's a lot.  But they've really started to slow down in movement throughout the day.  It's more in short bursts now.  The doctor said this is totally normal as they are now officially running out of room.  

Food cravings: Chocolate still, which is strange, b/c I'm not really a chocolate person. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week!! Woohoo!!

Have you started to show yet: Measuring at 53 weeks currently...holy moly!

Labor signs: I've been having some contractions and lower back pain - but nothing that can be measured consistently at this point. 

Belly button in or out: In - but grossly deformed. 

Wedding rings on or off: Off - I still miss them.  Can't wait for the swelling to go down (and to lose some of this weight) to wear them again. 

Mood most of the time: I'm all over the board this week.  I'm happy/bored/anxious/scared/excited/melancholy/etc from one moment to the next.  

Looking forward to: Next Thursday - when the girls will finally be here!!! 

Bring on winter!!

No cold baby feet in our house this winter!!!

Not usually a fan of Uggs, but they are super cute in this size!!

Crazy pregnancy dream #699403

So, I had another strange pregnancy dream last night...and this one has stuck with me since I woke up - so I thought it was worth sharing.

I was at the hospital and had just given birth to the girls.  The girls were in one of those cribs they use in the hospital, you know, the ones that look like plastic storage boxes with a missing lid?  Well, they were in the this crib together (twins can co-sleep) but the crib didn't have sides.  There was a nurse on either side of the crib to tend to each girl, however, they were chit-chatting and gossiping the whole time.

I kept looking over and was so annoyed but didn't say anything b/c they are nurses, they know what they're doing right?  Well, the babies started rolling (apparently they are really advanced in their development!) and rolled right out of the crib, on to their heads on the floor.  The nurses retrieved them and put them back in the cribs and continued chatting.

Well, I was pissed.  So I asked them to stop chatting and to take proper care of my babies because I didn't really like that they were falling on their heads.  One of the nurses turns to me and says, "Oh, don't worry honey, they don't use their brains this early on anyways.  They're fine."  Well, because I had had a c-section I couldn't get out of the bed to get to the girls so, again, I just laid there watching and kept trying to tell myself that the nurses knew what they were doing - it's their job.  Well, at that very moment both girls rolled off the crib once more, landing on their head and causing brain damage.  The nurse declared they had too much brain damage to function as a baby and right when she said that both girls turned into cats - white cats with black spots everywhere...

Then I woke up.

What the?! These hormones are crazy...