Nesting! Yikes!

I've mentioned before that I have had zero energy pretty much throughout the pregnancy, and that even standing for 30 seconds is hard for me.  Also, as a result pretty much everything I thought I'd be exited to do became not so exiting.  I've also said that I'm so thankful that we painted, got furniture and registered around 20 weeks, and that my mom came to visit around that time and pretty much washed and put away all the baby stuff too, because I literally have not done a thing since then (other than put the artwork on the walls because my hubby insisted that we not procrastinate anymore).  I've been walking by the nursery every day, thinking about how I need to wash stuff that we've subsequently gotten at showers, re-organize the closet and dresser (didn't love the way my mom had it arranged),  pack my hospital bag, and arrange all the extra diapers and gifts that we have in our loft that aren't going to be used for a while.  Of course just thinking about it just made me feel exhausted and overwhelmed, so, I always ended up back on the couch.

UNTIL a couple days ago.  I suddenly got the overwhelming urge to conquer it all!  I actually had to make a conscious effort to remember to not stand for too long at a time, which is pretty crazy, because, like I said, being on my feet for any amount of time usually makes me feel like I'm going to pass out. So anyway, by the end of the day I felt much better- I had washed the rest of the baby stuff, reorganized the closet and dresser, sorted and packed away all the baby clothes bigger than 3-6 months, tidied the loft, packed the hospital bag- PHEW! Then it occurred to me- I'm nesting!! This completely freaked me out, because, I've always heard that, as one website put it-  "Many women acutely experience the nesting instinct in the final days of their pregnancy, and this can often be a sign that labor and delivery is close at hand."  Even my own mother says that the day she went into labor she had gotten the overwhelming urge to paint the hallway to my room (and did!). I know that I'll be 34 weeks in a couple days, and that the average for twins is only 35 weeks, but although I cannot wait to meet them, the thought that it could be so soon is scary!

Anyway I clearly overdid it, because by the end of the day I was in so much pain! My hips, knees, feet, back, belly- OUCH! I was actually limping because my hips hurt so badly, and I'm still quite sore 2 days later! I saw my doctor yesterday, and she said my cervix was still measuring 4.1, so luckily I didn't do any damage there. BUT she also said, that at this point, the cervical length is a good sign, but I could still have my water break or go into labor at any time regardless of how long my cervix is.  I was also happy to have her tell my husband that if he comes home and the house is clean and dinner is on the table, then I've been really overdoing it, which made me feel much less guilty!

Surprisingly I don't think my belly has grown much in the past couple weeks, but here it is anyway at 33 weeks 5 days

Couch Potato Birthday

Well, it's my birthday again, 31!  I can hardly believe that I'm 32 weeks 5 days pregnant today, I am SO happy and SO grateful!!  It's funny, despite my massively growing belly, a nursery, classes etc. it still doesn't feel real a lot of the time.  I guess after 3 years of TTC it's sometimes hard to believe that this is all finally a reality. Even though I only have a few weeks left, I don't think it will hit me that this is actually happening and isn't just some crazy dream until my babies are in my arms- I can't wait! Going to enjoy a fun filled birthday of... couldn't you guess? Hanging out on the couch!

So.. yesterday I checked my FB.  I noticed pictures pop up of my husband, who appeared to be at some sort of party.  I looked closer, and realized that he was at a baby shower.  I assumed it was for someone he worked with.  Then I looked closer, and realized that he was the one opening the presents!! You guys, my husbands co-workers threw him a baby shower!! A baby shower complete with banners, cake, balloons, the works! He was in complete shock!  Anyway he came home with a car full of gifts, and LOTS of diapers! I was trying to do a rough count last night, and we have currently been given just under 1000 diapers ranging in size from newborn to size 2!! Plus almost 2000 wipes!  I have a sneaky feeling that we are going to be very surprised at how quickly they all disappear!

This morning as I walked in for my NST, all the nurses were saying "Uh oh, here come the trouble makers!"  Yes, my babies aren't even born yet and have already earned themselves a reputation.  They are also called the "wiggly ones", as they never stop moving.  I usually spend about double the normal time at my NST's and end up with at least one RN, sometimes two, who can't leave my bedside as they are having to constantly readjust my monitors or hold them in place as the babies have a dance party in there!  If this is any indication of what they will be like after they're born I'm going to have my hands full (I've been told this several times too!)

I think this weekend will finally be the weekend I pack my hospital bag.  My mother keeps calling and asking why I have not done it yet.  According to her, it's like an umbrella, if I have it I won't need it, and if I don't have it I will.  She has an uncanny way of always being right, so I think I'll pack it just to be on the safe side (and to avoid any "I told you so's"). Also, I think these will finally make it into the car this weekend- I'm surprised my husband has managed to hold off this long!

A Scare, A Meltdown, and a Stress Test

Now for part two of my crazy week which was much more eventful, and even included my biggest meltdown to date!

On Thursday was my growth scan.  As always baby girl was pretty hard to measure, especially her head since it's so low.  In the end she ended up weighing in at 3lbs 12oz (39th percentile), and baby boy ended up weighing in at a whopping 4lbs 4oz (59th percentile)!  So yes, that's a 20% difference... the ultrasound guy said that the girls percentile was likely off because of a poor head measurement.  My doctor called me that evening once she got the results, and said that she was concerned enough about the 20% difference that she was sending my results to the Perinatologist.  She knew that the measurements were likely off, but she wanted to be on the safe side...   The next day she called again after talking to her, and said that they were still both in the normal range, growing, and were in fact both pretty big despite the difference, so she would not worry about it. PHEW!  PS. That's 8 pounds of baby in there!

Then there was the meltdown... There have definitely been a few irrational meltdowns, but this time, as far as I was concerned, it was well justified! My husband came home on Wednesday asking for his passport, as some business associates were in town the next day and wanted to go see one of their factories across the border in Mexico, then go out in Tijuana afterward.  Of course I immediately started picturing him being kidnapped, murdered etc, as, well, Tijuana isn't exactly the safest of places, and frequents the news here in So. Cal. regarding kidnappings, shootings, etc. Therefore in my eyes, a meltdown (or two or three) was completely appropriate. There was one that night before bed, one the next morning before he left for work, and one later in the day.  I pretty much begged him not to go, asked him how I was going to raise twins on my own if anything happened to him, what if I went into labor while he was in ANOTHER COUNTRY  etc. etc. You get my drift.  He on the other hand, thought I was loosing my mind. He kept trying to reassure me that he would be completely safe, they were all being driven together by someone who actually lives across the border and commutes every day, reminded me that said "other country" is only about 15 minutes from his work, and above all, it was an important business obligation.  Wouldn't you guess? He ended up making it home safely after all!

On Friday was my second non stress test.  The name is pretty funny to me as I find them to be pretty darn stressful! On one hand it's reassuring to sit and listen to their heartbeats (and hiccups this time!). On the other hand, it seems to be a recurring theme for the RN to have a heart attack about how many contractions I have, which makes me really paranoid.  This time she came in saying "Wow, you're having some pretty organized contractions here- seven minutes apart, and not tiny ones either... are you sure this is normal?".  Um, yes. Quite sure.  I asked her if it's more than she usually sees for people with twins, and she said yes, I was having more, in a more organized fashion, and more intense than would be considered normal.  She said that mine were something that a doctor would be usually pretty concerned about someone having so early on.  Great.  Of course she did compare them to my printout from Tuesday, and it was pretty much identical. I brought it up to my doctor later in the day, who said that it was just the norm for me and I shouldn't worry unless they got more frequent or intense.  Of course when you have someone who is so concerned about your contractions, it makes you quite a bit more paranoid, so now I find myself over analyzing every contraction that I have all day!

WOW!

I am officially half way done with my crazy week! This morning I had an OB appointment, I'm 31w 3d, and she said I was measuring 38 weeks!!!! Holy cow, last week was only 35 1/2!!  Does this mean that in a couple weeks my body will decide that it's full term and go into labor??? The good news is that my cervix was measuring 4.1, and the OB was pretty surprised that it was still so long.  She was also pretty surprised that I still have no stretch marks- fingers crossed it will stay that way!  What do you think? 38 weeks? 

Yesterday was my first non stress test, and I'd say it went pretty well.  The nurse had initially said that starting next week when I am 32 weeks, the babies would have to meet stricter criteria in terms of their heart rates in response to their movement.  At the end of the appointment she said that they were already meeting them this week!  It was pretty comforting to sit and listen to their heart rates for 40 minutes, such a beautiful sound.  My contractions were also measured, and I had 4 while I was there, two of which I couldn't feel.  Funnily enough, the nurse came in afterward saying "I don't want to alarm you... but are you on medication for your contractions? You had 4."  In the meantime, I had been frustrated because I had had so FEW compared to normal, and was hoping that what was typical for me would have been documented.  She said that if it was normal for me and my doctor knew, then she guessed it was ok.   I swear, these contractions are the most confusing thing! 

All hooked up!

On Monday we had our maternity tour at the hospital.  I think that of all the classes etc. that we have been to in the past week, this made everything seem the most real!  Walking around the maternity ward- seeing where we would check in, labor and delivery rooms, post partum rooms, operating room etc. etc. We also got to meet and talk with the anaesthesiologist. I LOVE that your baby never leaves you from the time it's born- unless it needs to go to the NICU, and that everything they need to do with baby is done in your room. Let's just hope I can keep these two in there long enough that they don't need the NICU!

Tomorrow is my growth scan.  I'm really hoping to hear good news regarding the size of the girl.  It's not a problem now, but I know that if the size discrepancy between the two gets too big they could decide to have me deliver early.  One thing I do know, is that she may be the smaller one, but she's definitely the feisty one!

Busy Busy Busy

Today I had my 30 week 3 day OB appointment.  The good news is that my cervix is still holding up well, measuring 3.8 with no signs of funneling! The not so amazing news is that baby B who has been head down the past three weeks has decided to flip once more and now has his head right under my ribs! His sister on the other hand is, as she has been since week 12- head down and very low, showing no signs of moving.  My OB said that as long as she remained that way they could let me try to give birth naturally. BUT they do like the bigger baby to come out first... meaning that because baby B is bigger, I may need to have a c-section regardless of how he is positioned.  Oh, I'm also up 37 lbs- YIKES!! It appears that It's all in my belly though!

Also, because I continued to express how concerned I am about my ever present and continuous contractions that I've had since week 20 (at this point sometimes up to 8 an hour, which even she thought was a little much), she decided to move the start date for my twice weekly stress tests to next week- 31 weeks instead of the following week to give me peace of mind. I've heard people complain about them, but quite frankly I'm exited- I'll take any reassurance that I can get! This means that I'll have 3 appointments per week now! Next week is a little crazy though- this is what my schedule looks like-

Monday- Labor and delivery tour
Tuesday- Stress test
Wednesday- OB appt.
Thursday- Growth scan
Friday- Stress test

Thats's pretty much an appointment every day! This week is a bit crazy too, only with classes.  Last night we took the Infant CPR class, which was the class I most wanted to take.  Tonight we have the Baby Care class (my husband really wanted to take it!),  and on Thursday is a breastfeeding class.  I actually joined a "Moms of Multiples" group, and went to a class that they held on breastfeeding twins a few weeks ago.  There were about 6 other moms there, 4 of whom had their infant twins with them- the oldest set being 4 months old.

Honestly it was a bit scary in a way to hear their stories- they all had a LOT of trouble in the beginning- and they all had to supplement for a while, one for almost a month! AND, none of them used bottles to supplement to avoid nipple confusion, they all had to finger feed which I gather was a pretty difficult.  The good news is, that they all survived, and are all breastfeeding successfully now, so that gives me hope.  I asked each one how far along they were when they delivered- one of them said that she had to be induced and 39 1/2 weeks!!!!! She wasn't a very big person either- probably only about 5'6 and very slim, AND it was her first pregnancy! She said that each twin weighed 7 lbs!  Actually, she was the one who had the most difficulty breastfeeding, and had to supplement the longest, so I guess when you give birth and  how big the babies are doesn't necessarily dictate how easy breastfeeding will be.

This weekend we finally got the nursery finished!  Here are a couple pics of artwork we put up..

Lampshade I made, and Etsy prints

"Hoop" artwork I've been working on! (my husband made the duck and little train :)

Etsy Giraffes 

A Real Baby For Once??

One of these days (hopefully before the babies come) I'm going to have a NORMAL dream about being pregnant that results in the birth of an actual normal human baby.

I had a few dreams that I was pregnant before I actually was, but usually woke up before I had the baby.  Since I've been pregnant, I've had several dreams, especially recently, where I actually had the baby, or usually more accurately, the twins, only..... they aren't exactly.... well... human.  You see, I've had dreams ranging from giving birth to dolls to kittens.  Usually dolls.  Although, I do have a vague memory of a dream where I woke up in a dirt hut after a huge earthquake that basically demolished the entire world, to find that I had been in a coma for three months and had given birth to triplets... only they were all the size of a coke can despite being three months old and totally healthy- then I woke up.

Last night was the closest that I've come. I dreamed that I had a doctors appointment, and she said they had to be delivered that day, so I checked in and needed to have a c-section (normal so far), only they had to put me to sleep for the procedure, and for some reason my husband wasn't there (getting a bit strange). Anyway, I woke up in my bed at home (definitely strange) which was supposed to be the hospital I guess.  The nurse came in with the babies and handed me the boy who had lots of dark brown hair (normal though not expected!), and I looked over at the girl who had really deep red hair (hmm.. strange, but at least they're real live babies!!).  Anyway, I walked to the top of the stairs, and yelled for my husband to come up and see them. By the time he got upstairs and walked into the bedroom, the babies had turned into 10 year old kids, who stood there staring at us like- who are you? I don't remember what the girl looked like, but the boy had apparently changed ethnicity, and was now black with a HUGE afro (Um, definitely not normal anymore).  I was instantly convinced that the doctor had gotten my husbands sperm mixed up with someone else's.  More than anything I was pissed that they were only babies for about 2 minutes, and started thinking about the nursery, about how after all the work that went into it, it would now have to be redone without being used, and about what we were going to do with all the baby stuff.  Then I woke up.

Weird, I know. Then I proceeded to fall asleep again and have another dream where I was put to sleep, had a c-section, woke up and went shopping, apparently forgetting that I had just had babies! *sigh*.  One of these days I tell ya!  On the other hand, my husband woke up one morning and told me that he knew what the babies looked like because he had a dream that HE had given birth to them (well, had a c-section) and saw what they looked like!!!

Anyway, I guess it's been a couple weeks since the last official belly shot, so here it is at 29 weeks and 4 days.  Oh, at my doctors appt. on Wednesday, I found out that I'm measuring at 35 weeks- yikes!

 I seem to be outgrowing my trusty "picture outift"! The top is barely covering the full panel completely!