Saturday, March 28, 2009

34 Weeks


Question of the week? Did my belly drop? I sort of think they are starting to drop because some of the sensations I am feeling down there are that they are COMING OUT! It's very strange and it's obvious Baby A is starting to get into position. I feel her as low as you can and all the way up to the top...and she's the SMALL baby! I also am starting to experience some pelvic pressure and my hips are aching a little. My waddle might set in officially very soon! Overall, I still feel good. I really don't have much classic back pain; I have a strange pain in my right side ribcage, but it's very hit and miss. Sometimes I'll milk it just for a back rub (ha ha!). But, my heating pad does a good job too.

The girls are incredibly active still. I will be sad when there movements decrease (this is expected closer to the end because they have no room left to squirm). This pregnancy stuff is pretty cool and if I wasn't getting a two-for-one deal, I wouldn't mind doing it again. I can actually say that I've enjoyed being pregnant except for the never-ending drama of "what to wear!" I love feeling the girls in my belly and saying funny things to them! David loves to get belly shots and feel them kick around; I actually think he'll miss my enormous belly. Soon, it will be all live and in person, with noises (like crying and laughing) to accompany them! Gosh, I can't believe we're going to be parents in less than 30 days!

Here's what's going on with the girls: They weight about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and are almost 18 inches long. Their fat layers — which will help regulate their body temperature once they are born — are filling them out, making them rounder. Their skin is also smoother than ever. Their central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Good to know -- Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Car Seat Drama!


We got these car seats we thought were awesome UNTIL we had the fire department install them. Yes, they are the prettiest ones (green and brown paisley--see bottom picture) on the market (in my opinion), and they accommodate a baby up to 30 lbs (made sense, use it longer), but they are HUGE!!! Our midsized SUV, which I think is big, turned small very quickly! We couldn't put the car seats side-by-side, so they took up the ENTIRE back seat. Also, we had to push our seat up nearly all the way to make room and not hit them with the front seat. My belly barely fit behind the steering wheel (yes, I am exaggerating, but you get my point). I was incredibly frustrated. We spent time researching, having them delivered, going to the fire station to have them installed only to be completely unhappy. So, on Thursday night I was stressing. I didn't sleep a wink. Seriously, I had 45 minutes of sleep the entire night. I felt terrible and actually called in sick on Friday. Then, I could only sleep about an hour the whole day!

Long story short is that I was all set to by these Chicco car seats recommended by my twin Mom friends. However, I learned they don't fit into the double snap and go stroller (which is like a frame, making it incredibly easy to just snap the car seats in w/o disrupting the sleeping beauties). So, back to the drawing board. I went with the old classic -- Graco Snug Ride. They are consistently high rated and what nearly everyone gets. I just didn't like the colors/patterns (as my friend Diana says "it's all about the aesthetic when you have a baby!"). However, I found one I liked reasonably well (pale pink and brown--see picture above) and went for it. They both fit next to each other in the back seat, leaving room for a third passenger! David has to wench them down, but I did a fairly good job installing them (it took forever!). The fire dept stopped installing because of budget cuts...we had one chance only!

Bottom line is that the babies, if born today, will have a way home from the hospital. Yeah!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Nursery



Some of you have asked for pics of the nursery. It's all finished! Well, I guess there are a few things...putting the light on a dimmer and building a corner shelf for the baby video monitor. Here you go! What do you think?

34 Days to Go @ 33 weeks!


It's hard to believe that I have no longer than 34 days to go. Where'd the time go? Am I ready? Well, I'm physically ready (we have all the baby gear) and I'm getting more mentally prepared as each day passes. However, are you EVER totally mentally ready to have a baby, let alone twins? David and I are anxious to see their little faces and get to know their personalities. I wonder if they will be similar to the way they are in the womb. If so, we'll have some trouble with Baby B (Left Baby).

The doctor's visit went well last week -- their little heartbeats were 144 and 156 (Baby on Right was beating faster; she's the smaller one). Both were in the normal range. My blood pressure and weight gain are both great. I am measuring 38cm in fundal height (40 weeks is "full term" with a singleton); that's another word for the top to the bottom of my belly. The Doc was impressed with how well I'm doing and didn't even talk about bed rest -- I'm SO beyond that phase anyways! My next doctor's visit (week 34), I will have the Strep B test, which is routine and lots of people have it; however, they put you on antibiotics during delivery because the bacteria can be harmful to newborns. Then, I go in for weekly tests. My next ultrasound is at 35 weeks. It will be a good one because at that point I should know for sure if I will be required to have a c-section or get to labor like old fashioned times. I'm mentally prepared either way, but it would be great to be able to labor and deliver the way nature intended.

The girls are incredibly active, and I can definitely tell when I'm having a braxton hicks contraction (these are practice contractions for those of you who aren't in the know). It's funny how the girls will be very active and then all of a sudden my uterus tightens (that's my whole belly, fyi) and they stop moving immediately. Once the contraction is over, they go back to their normal dancing around. I wonder if they hate it? It's like someone's grabbing them and telling them to settle down. They are still very active around loud noises, they move very little when I'm walking or in a quiet space, and if I ever yell out loudly they are quick to jump (sorry for scaring you, ladies). David talks to them nightly and I'm hoping they will get to the point where they are responsive to his voice (I kind of thing they respond to me, but how will I ever know that?!)

Here's what the girls are up to according to the text books -- This week the girls weigh a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and passed the 17-inch mark. They are rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and their skeletons are hardening. The bones in their skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for them to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a cone head-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Office Surprise Showers


Our offices have done a great job in throwing us surprise showers. Several weeks ago, my office set up a "meeting" at 11:30am, which didn't make me happy since I typically go to the gym over lunch. After running from another meeting, I opened the door to the conference room only to be overwhelmed by incredible food, all my work friends, and presents for the girls. What a great surprise.

On Friday, I was all set to go to the Pentagon for a surprise awards ceremony for David. I was so proud that I hadn't slipped up to David, arrived at the Pentagon on time and even had my camera ready to snap some pics. When I walked into his office, his entire staff (seemed like 20+ people) surprised me! David can walked in a few minutes before me. The room was decked out in pink everything (including pink peeps, my fav), tons of food and too many way generous gifts. Coming from a bunch of Marines, I was super-impressed! It was like a real party, not MREs and physical fitness test.

They were both very cool parties! What incredible people we both work with!