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30 June 2013

22 Weeks {a rough one}






How far along: 22 weeks, 5 Days
Weight gain/loss: +12 lbs. at 148 (starting weight 136)

Maternity clothes: shorts and pants, yes! Still loving my maxi dresses!
 
Sleep: this got a little better this week. I am learning to how to adjust myself with the pillows and make my body comfortable.
 
Best moment this week: We had a great appointment on Friday with another doctor at my OB's office. She might be my favorite yet. She was the first one at that office to give me the "lovin'" I've so desperately been searching for and needed.

Food cravings: Dry strawberry mini wheats, watermelon, my yogurt parfait, and Panera Mac'n'cheese (if you haven't had this yet, do yourself a favor and go try some, its delish)
 
Food aversions: still meat and big portions

Movement: I have two jumping beans in my belly
  
Gender: BOYS!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks every time I walk more than 15 steps. Trying to keep this at bay by staying seated as much as possible. 

Looking forward to: Seeing the littles on Wednesday at the high risk doctor. I am always so reassured when I leave my peri's office. (also hoping he clears me to go to my show in Orlando for work, I am dying to get out of the house, be around people and feel a sense of normalcy)

Baby/momma medical update:
 
Tuesday was a rough day around here. I woke up in the morning, ate my normal breakfast, sat down at my table to start my work day. About an hour later I felt like someone was sitting on my chest. Typically when this happens I can take a deep breath and it will go away. But those deep breaths were also extremely hard to take.
 
{a little medical background, I have an irregular heart beat. And even though my sweet brother, who is in med school, has assured me that can't really harm me, I often wonder if my heart can handle this pregnancy. I actually think about it a lot and sometimes dwell on it... me? dwell? ha! yes!!!!}
 
So I put a call in to my OB office, and the doctor said, since it wasn't OB related he suggested I go to the emergency room. My face got hot, I started sweating like crazy. ER?! So I got off the phone and called my Primary Care doctor, whom I am very close with. She said to drive straight to her office, and tell the desk she told me to come right in and she would see me right away { I really just wanted someone to listen to my heart and tell me there were no heart issues}
 
My PC doc did an EKG and blood sugar test, and both came back completely fine. Then she looked at me and said (knowing exactly how to handle me) "Now I know this is going to freak you out, but I want you to go to the ER to rule out a PE {blood clot in my lung}" She said it kept popping up in the back of her mind and she really wanted to rule it out. I of course burst into tears, and went next door to the ER. My doctor had already called me in, so I didn't wait a single second.
 
I got another EKG, saw two PA's, had 8 vials of blood drawn for tests and then was sent into the ER triage. I saw the ER doctor three times, one for questions, one to have him tell me he was sending me for a sonogram on my legs and another for results.
 
If any non-pregnant person goes into the ER for my symptoms they are give an cat scan to check for a blood clot in the lung, but they don't like doing cat scans when you're pregnant. The other tests that are given results have to out weigh the risk of the cat scan. So I was sent for a sonogram on my legs, as that is where blood clots typically start in pregnant women.
 
The sono on my legs came back negative. Between this, my oxygen/pulse test and blood work, the ER doc was 90% certain I didn't have a blood clot in my lung. So I was discharged, with a laundry list of things to look for for the next few months. The only way to be 100% certain I don't have a blood clot would be a cat scan, and there isn't enough positive tests to warrant that.
 
On Friday we had an appointment at the OB. We saw Dr. Bray and she completely calmed every nervous feeling I've been having. Which I have been searching for for a long time. She basically told me the only reason my cervix would shorten right now, would be too many Braxton Hicks contractions in an hour. I've past the point my where cervix would be considered "incompetent". So anything I feel from here on out is just normal twin pregnancy symptoms. The only thing I need to worry about is contractions or too many Braxton Hicks in a one hour period.
She also gave me a date they are pretty sure they will do my C-section, we just need to wait on an official date. I will have to go into the hospital triage unit 2 mornings before my surgery and the morning before, to get both rounds of steroids to increase the boys lungs. Having a semi-official date made this all a lot more real.
 
12 more weeks to go! I am praying and hoping my body keeps up the good work and the boys continue to share and grow.
 
Sorry for the lengthy post! Wanted to get everything down so I  have this all somewhere.
 
hope y'all had a good weekend!
-b

22 June 2013

21 weeks




... all day long!


How far along: 21 weeks, 3 Days
Weight gain/loss: +10 lbs. at 146 (starting weight 136)

Maternity clothes: shorts and pants, yes! Still loving being able to wear maxi dresses!
 
Sleep: Still tough. I've had to surround myself with about 5 pillows to keep me from rolling onto my back. I flip sides about 100 times a night and getting up to pee is a chore, as I have to tuck myself back into my little pillow fort every time.
Best moment this week: We got to see the boys at our high risk appointment on Tuesday. The were moving around like crazy!

Food cravings: Watermelon, apples, my yogurt parfait's {this is new this week, but I'm obsessed: greek yogurt, honey, granola, raspberries and blueberries} our grocery store had all berries on sale this week, so I stocked up!
 
Food aversions: still meat and big portions

Movement: oh yeah! all the time!
  
Gender: BOYS!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, some minor to severe cramping. For the past week and half my ears have been really itchy and then sore, and I get real stuffy at night and in the morning.

Looking forward to: We are going to work on the nursery this weekend, and do a few little details. We had a few items arrive this week and we are excited to get them up.

Baby/momma medical update:
 
Tuesday we had our cardio test at the peri's office. Everything went GREAT! There are no issues as of yet, and the boys are still growing perfectly and sharing {thank God} Cervix was at a 3.9, which I was happy with and my peri praised me for going to the emergency room for my cramping. {which made me feel less of "the girl who cried wolf"}
 
Mid this week my ears got really bad. So I made an appointment with my family practice doctor {whom I'm mildly obsessed with, she's so amazing} She looked in my ears and asked if I had been swimming. I laughed and told her, I wish. She told me I had tons of fluid behind my ear that was sort of cloudy, and was about 3 days away from being a double ear infection. Then she checked my sinuses and said "whoah, yeah, okay, you have a sinus infection."
I haven't taken a single thing medicine wise this whole pregnancy. I've battled out every headache, all nausea, and any severe pain, med free. So I told her I really don't want to take anything. We settled on Sudafed, which I still wasn't thrilled about but if I don't dry up the fluid behind my ear drum, I will get an infection and then so will the boys, and that is no bueno. So Sudafed it is. Going into the pharmacy with a big belly having to sign out Sudafed from behind the counter is super fun. {do we have to go through this process? Does it look like I'm buying this to make meth? really?}
 
 
have a wonderful weekend!
-b

21 June 2013

fun product {StickyGram}


 
Dropping in to tell you all about a fun product I recently discovered: StickyGram. I bought these a week ago and received them in a few short days and I absolutely love them!
 
StickyGram allows you to make your Instagram's into magnets, how fun?! I bought three sheets (when I bought they were running a deal) and now these fun little squares adorn our chalkboard wall in the house.
 

 
 
 
 
it's so easy to do. Visit the Sticky Gram website { https://stickygram.com/ }, enter in your IG account info, the website pulls up your pictures, and you select the pictures you want.

We kept them in their large squares for now, but can't wait to break them apart and write notes next to them!

enjoy!
-b

17 June 2013

Our Weekend { 6.14.13 - 6.16.13}

 
 
Our weekend started out a little scary and hectic with a trip to the ER. Everything ended up being fine, thanks goodness. So we spent the rest of the weekend resting and Adam put together a few things we received for the nursery, as I sat there and took pictures.
 
{Saturday}
 
Hubbs was on a work trip and got in Saturday morning around 1 a.m. I had been having little cramps here and there Friday night, but nothing even close to severe, until 5 a.m. I woke up in a lot of pain and fought myself on calling the doctor. My peri doc told me if I experience severe cramping to call my OB and get seen. Well Saturday at 5 a.m. the office isn't open and one of the doctors is on call, so when I called, he had me go to the ER at the Women's Hospital.
We were there for 6 hours. They monitored me for 4 hours to make sure my cramping wasn't contractions, did an ultrasound and checked all fluids. Everything was fine. The nurse and doctor told me I was "still tiny and had very little fluff" therefore I can feel everything, that most people wouldn't. I actually laughed when we got in the car about this comment, because they apparently didn't look at my thighs or my bottom, because they would have found plenty of "fluff" to go around.
 
We got home around noon, and both took naps {especially hubby, poor thing only had 4 hours of sleep and sat in a hard hospital chair for the whole morning} Then we got up went into the nursery and set up the rocker and the cribs we received on Friday! I mainly took pictures and made sure hubs iPad was set up with the US Open playing.
 
We are going with a mix and match theme in the boys room. We didn't want matchy everything, so we decided to do 3 colors of wood, colors that typically don't go together but a room that still felt like a rustic boys room. Next and last we have to do the gallery wall of a few things we ordered over their dresser, and after that a few things here and there { crib skirts, a little shelving, and a little décor}and we will be done!
 



 



 
 
 
{sunday}
 
Sunday was spent laying around {surprise, surprise} and watching the US Open all day. We made a quick trip to Whole Foods and then it was back to the couch and the US Open.
Campbell has gotten pretty good at this resting on the weekend thing. She is the best couch companion.
 
 
hope your weekend was fabulous!
 
-b
 

 *linking up with Annapolis & Company
 
 

16 June 2013

20 Weeks {Boys have names!!!}

 
Babies have names!!!
Grayson Gregory & Greer Jamieson
 
(Gregory and Jamieson are family names on each of our sides of the family)

How far along: 20 weeks, 5 Days

Weight gain/loss: +7 lbs. at 143 (starting weight 136)

 
Maternity clothes: A few bottoms, and starting to invest in lots of maxi dresses {the only good thing about being pregnant with twins in the summer} Also- so thankful I work from home and haven’t had to buy maternity clothes for work every day.
 

Sleep: This got tougher this week. I wake up with a really sore belly, painful back {from sleeping on my side} and no amount of pillows have helped. So I’ve resorted to sleeping sitting up part way through the night.

Best moment this week: We received our cribs, mattresses and rocker this week, so Saturday we {we meaning hubby} spent the afternoon setting those up.

Food cravings: Watermelon, apples, chocolate chip cookies (I typically don't eat cookies)and milk (and I typically hate milk) I also got another craving for 5 Guys cheeseburger. So hubbs went out last night and got us that for dinner!
 
Food aversions: still meat and big portions

 Movement: lots and lots!
 
Gender: BOYS!

 Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, some minor to severe cramping, back pain, insomnia and afternoons start getting tough to stand up straight {sound fun yet?}

 Looking forward to: We are meeting with a pediatrician on Monday. I have a perfect person in mind, but she is just getting through with medical school, getting married and going on a honeymoon this month! And her and her cute soon to be hubby live in St.Pete, so I am sure she will look for a job there first, and practices will probably be DYING to have her down there. So we are interviewing a backup choice just in case J

Tuesday we have our cardio test at the peri’s office. This will be the longest appointment through out our whole pregnancy, they told us to pack a lunchJ I am, however, excited to see my littles for 2+ hours straight.

 
Baby/momma medical update: Hubbs got home from a work trip on Saturday morning around 1am. I had been feeling a few cramps here and there but nothing close to being severe. However, I woke up at 5am with severe cramping. So per my peri doc, that paired with Braxton Hicks required a call to my OB practice. So I called the on call doc, and he called me into the ER at the Women’s center. (again)

Everything ended up being perfectly fine. Cervix was still between a 3.8 and 4.1, babies heart rates were 143 and 151 which were perfect and there was no bleeding.

So I was told because I am so small {in their words “all skin and muscle, and no fluff”, ha!! yeah right, they didn’t turn me over}I am just feeling everything. Every little twinge and pain I feel more than what most people would.

So with that, everything is still good and staying the same, which I am happy with and thankful for.

13 June 2013

3 more weeks . . .


 
 
 
If you use Google Reader or if you're a blogger and have Google followers, in 3 weeks, Good Reader will be no longer.
 
If you're looking for a new reader, I suggest Bloglovin'. I've been using it for a while now and love it! Especially the iPhone app. Here is an article on how to easily move your Good Reader subscriptions into Bloglovin' if you choose to do so....
 
 
 
 
and here is a tutorial for Bloglovin' if you wish to see it before you sign up....
 
 
 
 
See you tomorrow for 20 week update and names reveal!
 
xo
-b

09 June 2013

19 weeks {feet up...working!}

 
 
 
How far along: 19 weeks, 5 days

Weight gain/loss: +7 lbs. at 143 (starting weight 136)

Maternity clothes: yup, just a few bottoms.
 
Sleep: Pretty good, still not great.

Best moment this week: We got to see the littles on Friday at our perinatal appointment. Their sweet little heads were together and made for a great sono picture. {more on the appointment below}

Food cravings: Watermelon, apples, chocolate chip cookies (I typically don't eat cookies)
 
Food aversions: still meat.

Movement: Yes!!! and Adam can feel them too, which he loves!
 
Gender: BOYS!

Symptoms: Started getting Braxton Hicks last week {more on that below}

Looking forward to: Our cribs and mattresses arriving! My sweet in-laws dropped by thurs-fri and told us they were buying them for us! We were shocked and so thankful. They have been ordered and should be here in a couple of weeks!


Baby/momma medical update: We had our high risk appointment on Friday and everything looked really good on the baby front. Both babies are growing and most importantly, sharing. Baby A is 11 ounces and Baby B is 10 ounces. Baby B is on the cusp of being 11 ounces, they are only about 30 grams apart, which is good.
They measure their stomachs each visit to check for TTT (Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome) This only effects about 10% of identical twin pregnancies but we are at a little higher risk for this since Baby A's umbilical cord is not attached in the middle of my placenta. So, they monitor them every visit to make sure they are sharing properly.  So far they are good sharers, and get that from their Momma :)

I am already having Braxton Hicks contractions, and my doctor actually saw one on the ultrasound when we were in there. He told me unless I am getting them 4 or more times an hour, he isn't too concerned. He does want me changing a few things, like bringing my work downstairs so I am not climbing them more than a couple times a day. He also said no standing or walking for a lengthy time. He said going out to dinner is fine, but walking around the mall or standing around at a function is not a good idea. He said "For lack of a better term, don't do something that's going to piss your cervix off"

My cervix did, however, measure at a 4.1 !!! Which is great! My feet up has helped and looks like its doing good things for me. So no bed rest yet he says, but keep doing what I'm doing.


Sorry I'm so late on this week. I do turn 20 weeks on Tuesday, ha!, but will be better at doing these more timely!
 
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
-b
p.s. we officially have names!!!! stayed tuned next week for the official reveal!


06 June 2013

tropical storm andrea

 
 
Well this special little storm that I thought would give us the much needed rain we've been wanting....
 
 
 
...turned into a full blown tropical storm yesterday around 4pm. The first tropical storm of the season, Andrea. . .
 
 
 
Thankfully she's just had lots of rain and wind, some thunder and lightning here and there.
 
Her rains did, however, cause our ceiling to leak. Good thing that's all covered by our HOA and they are sending someone out tomorrow to fix it. {one of the only pluses to having a semi-expensive HOA}
 
 
 
For those of you who aren't familiar with Tampa and surrounding areas, we don't do well with rain. We flood. Even with some light afternoon showers, we have flooded streets that end up closed for hours. The first one to always close is Bayshore Boulevard. It is directly on the water. Its a beautiful street and a fun little fact of the day: its the has the longest sidewalk in the world!
 
Here is a picture I took off my TV from the video our news was showing from Bayshore :
 
 
just a little update from our end. Hope all my locals are staying safe and have minimal to no damage or outages!
 
-b


03 June 2013

Our Weekend {May 31-June 2}


 
Our weekend was very calm, as it should have been. I'm still obviously on feet up still, so we did very little. We spent lots of time on the couch and a few hours getting some stuff done for babies.
 

 
{saturday) we spent the day on the couch while it poured rain all day. This happens to be one of the things that makes me most happy in life. Lazy days on rainy days. We took about an hour or so in the afternoon to clean out the guest bath closet that will be the boys bath. I had samples (I worked for a trade show company so samples are a way of life) that expired last year still in there. We ended up tossing 4 bags of trash and donating things we didn't want/need to a shelter. Here is the end result:
 

 
 
 
 
{sunday} Hubbs spent a lot of time on baby stuff. He is amazing. He spent over 5 hours, on Sunday, painting their nursery and it is beyond my expectations. He did a great job!
 
 
 
 
 
 
and on {friday} hubbs came home for lunch before golfing and I felt my first punch/kick. Not sure which it was but it was definitely Baby B. All weekend I have gotten jabbed here and there!
 
 

{no that's not my belly button poking out, its the drawstring from my pants}
 
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
xox0
-b