Saturday, April 11, 2009

Getting Ready For Easter











Tomorrow is Easter and I'm probably like most Americans ... I celebrate with sweets and colored eggs. David and I colored eggs bright and early this morning and then this afternoon I attempted these adorable chick cupcakes. I think they turned out alright. We're going to Josie and Bob's (and Baby Clay's) for Easter dinner and I wanted to bring something fun. I hope they like them. It was a pretty painstaking process, but a lot of fun (David was into it too as you can see him licking his fingers when he was finished). I also baked chocolate chip cookies just in case these are just too sweet.

BTW, that ghetto egg is David's.

Friday, April 10, 2009

FAT Babies



The ultrasound went really well and we're sooo excited.

First, the non-stress test was a huge success. They needed to record 3 movements in 19 minutes and I passed the test in 3 minutes! They monitored for contractions and while I had some, it was completely normal and not a sign of pre-term labor.

Second, they did an ultrasound. The girls are still BOTH head down!!! Yeah! I was convinced Right Baby turned around, but the doc said they are wedged in and won't flip. So, I'm going to labor the old fashioned way if everything else stays on track. So, here's the kicker, at 35 weeks 5 days, Right Baby (small baby) is now 5lbs 15oz (that's 1oz shy of 6lbs). We asked the doctor to remeasure because we thought there's NO WAY! But, she measured the same! Left Baby is 5lbs 8 oz! Sure, there's a margin of error here, but that is INCREDIBLE news! We got a bit of a face shot, but Baby B (right) was blocking her face. We did see Left Baby practice breathing, it was very cool.

We go to the OBGYN for cervical measurements on Wednesday (am I dialated or effaced?) and then back to the perinatologist on Friday for another non-stress test and ultrasound. That will be 36 weeks 3 days and 36 weeks 5 days. It's looking like we'll get to full term or beyond! Gosh, I hope so!

Go babies! Go Babies! I'm doing a dance for them! The document above is a graphic of their weight over the last 3 ultrasounds. Click it for a better view.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Good Food and a Great Friend


Last night I had dinner with a dear friend of mine, Chris. He's in town for work from San Diego (formerly a Bostonian, Floridian, and Canadian). We've known each other for 11 years -- since graduate school. Gosh time flies. We saw him in November when out visiting David's Mom in San Diego (and when my baby belly didn't exist). He got a huge kick (literally) out of my belly and is very excited to meet the girls when he returns in June.
We dined at my favorite Indian restaurant in the city -- Rasika. It was SO GOOD! We had a little bit of everything...shrimp, lamb, chicken, veggies, and of course dessert. http://www.rasikarestaurant.com/

What's That? My Hand?


For nearly a week now, I've have numbness in my hands. It's like they are always asleep. It's very annoying, but according to my doctor, completely normal. I guess swelling causes numbness. Strangely, I don't feel or look swollen. My rings and watch still fit. At night, when I sleep, I have to be careful to sleep with my hands down by my side or I will wake up to a completely numb arm. This is not an easy thing to do. My doc says the numbness will go away after delivery.

Otherwise, still feeling good. I definitely feel a lot of pelvic pressure; they must be getting into position. My belly is definitely lower . It's almost like I'm sitting on it...makes me feel terrible when they have the hiccups. Am I squishing them? Last night between the numbness and the pelvic pressure, I tossed and turned a lot, but I still feel rested.

David is still in luck -- no labor. He's returning from Chicago tomorrow night. The girls already miss his silly chats.


Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Just Say No To -- Group B Streptococcus

My Strep B tests came back negative. As you recall, all pregnant ladies get tested for Strep B around their 35th week. It can be life-threatening to newborns, so they make you have an IV of antibiotics during labor to fight any transmission of the bacteria. So, this is good. If I am able to labor, vs a c-section, I won't be constrained by an IV! However, I'm not so sure they are both head down anymore. I feel Baby A (right) hiccuping and the movements are far up by my ribs. I don't see how her head could be down. We'll find out for sure on Friday at our next ultrasound. They are also doing a non-stress test then too to see if I'm having any labor symptoms like contractions and to check the babies.

Keep your fingers crossed for 2 babies HEAD DOWN!

20 DAYS TO GO!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

35 Weeks! The Chip Shot!


We're sooo excited to have made it to the 35th week! After all the terrible things I've read and were threatened, I didn't have to worry about any of it. We vividly recall my perinatologists comments about the 35th week being the "chip shot" when I questioned what week we should be striving to reach. The lungs should be pretty much fully developed and if everything else is good, they wouldn't spend more than a few weeks in the NICU. However, we don't need to talk about that yet. David is headed to Chicago this week (he must not be concerned at all about me going into labor!). I already have a back up birth coach, my good friend Jen, just in case! I doubt/hope I'll be neededing her though! I'm betting my due date will be April 22nd for some reason...that's 37.5 weeks or just 5 days before the inducement/c-section date. Not sure why this date is sticking with me, it's just my bet! [Note, David wanted me to add that he's going on one final guys trip to whoop it up...just kidding, he's got some really, uber importante business dealings going on there and he says he MUST go! Seriously though, I ain't worried, but he better know how to home fast if he's needed. I wouldn't want to be him if he missed the big day!]

I think this week's belly pic is a better representation of what I'm looking like. Gettin bigger, but I'm still feeling good. I've scored a temp parking pass at work, which will be incredibly helpful...I'd rather sit in my car on my heated seat instead of having some gigantic person sit next to me (I ALWAYS get the HUGE person next to me...it's so uncomfortable now!). I have 15 days of work left and 22 days to go! Where'd the pregnancy go?

Here's what's going on with the girls -- they should be over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (let's hope!). They hopefully aren't doing somersults anymore because they are running out of room, but the number of times their kicks are definitely the same (if not more!). Their kidneys are fully developed now, and their liver can process some waste products. Most of their basic physical development is now complete.

Wanna Buy a Car?


I joked at our shower about David saying we didn't need car seat bases. I guess he was thinking that we'd ONLY drive the girls around in my car (which lead me to believe he wanted only ME to have that responsibility). At the time, when we were still going to the daycare route, I didn't see how that could be possible...what if I had to work late and he didn't have car seats? You can't really strap a newborn into the backseat! Well, I convinced him that he needed car seat bases, even if we have a nanny. So, once we got the smaller seats, David tried to install them...THEY DON'T FIT in his 2 door car! While we were on this track anyways, he's hot to sell is fancy, convertible, man car. You all probably think this is hard to believe, but I'm not forcing this decision on bit! I actually think the car seats would fit, but I honestly think he's ready to sell. He's getting all mature and stuff. :) So, do you want to buy a great car? You can find it on Craigslist. We might have a bit of a hard time selling it because of the economy, but thankfully we're not in any rush.

Note the time...girls, I am getting ready for you.