{ our weekend }

This weekend was spent nesting and doing lots of baby stuff. First we decided to go through all the boys clothes {since, yes, I received another shipment of clothes. Its all I can do on rest} and do inventory. We might end up needing a few things here and there, but that will all depend on when they come and their size.

 

Next we decided to put the bases to the car seats in my car and get them nice and locked in. Then practiced putting the seats in and out. Here are a few shots from that project....

 

 

 

every time I see these two car seats together, I get so giddy! Actually everything in twos gets me giddy. We put together our pack and play this week too and it just melts my heart to think of them both sleeping in this.

 

 

 

Then our Solly Baby Wraps arrived and we practiced putting these on. I've researched and researched wraps and through all of my mommas advice, we went with these, and they are amazing. The owner has two great tutorials online and from what I'm told she answers all questions you send in via e-mail.

 

 

 

 

Then we did a lot of laying around as I haven't felt very good, pain and sinus wise. Hubbs did wash both of our cars and while he did that, I decorated the mantel for football season since it starts NEXT WEEKEND! We are a divided house school wise, but our teams never play each other, so we pull for each other's teams too. Which makes for happier Saturdays:)

 

 

xo

-b

 

 



30 weeks !!!!

 

How far along: 30 weeks, 5 days

Weight gain/loss: +22 lbs. to 158

Maternity clothes: This week I’ve spent the majority of the week in my maternity sweat shorts and tanks. Trying to be as comfortable as possible.

Sleep: This is in and out.

Best moment this week: We had another fetal fibronecten and it came back negative. Which tells us my body has a less than 1% chance of going into labor within the next 2 weeks.

Food cravings: I made these delicious rice krispies treats I had a recipe for and hubbs and I could not stop eating them this week. They are SO good. I woke up thinking about them in the middle of the night. Still loving fruit, lemonade, peanut butter/ honey/banana sammies, and milk.

Food aversions: none.

Movement: Lots of movement. Its funny, Grayson (Baby A, on the bottom-ish) used to be my mover and kicker. But Greer has now officially taken that role over and is a jumping bean all the time. His little feet also happen to be at the bottom of my rib cage, so that’s always a fun surprise.

Gender: MY BOYS!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, really uncomfortable, congested, and a few headaches. (still have refused to take anything, but I’m close to giving in)

Miss anything: This week, I missed wine. Hubbs was drinking a glass, and I said “can I just smell it?” so I did, and it made me miss it more.  Also still missing being able to leave the house.

Looking forward to: We have two appointments this week, Tuesday and Thursday. My OB wanted to start seeing me weekly since we are in pre-term labor zone and my belly is measuring at 36 weeks. My peri appointment on Thursday should be a big one. First, we get to see the boys, how big they are and then my doc is going to make the call if he keeps my surgery in the 34^th week or if he’s going to push me a little longer. Fingers crossed for the latter.

 Baby/Momma Update:

  Baby update

 I had a OB appointment on Tuesday and both babies heart rates were great! That's about the only report I get on them at the OB, more info on the babes next week.

 Momma update

 At my OB practice, you have to see everyone in the practice in case you go into labor and the doc you regularly see, isn’t on call. I went into this pregnancy only wanting my OB, the one I’ve been seeing for years. But my opinion has quickly changed. I have since fallen in love with three other doctors at the practice. There is always one doc, Dr. Young, that seems to be on call when I have to go to the ER, and I finally got a regular OB appointment with him back in July. I got paired with him again this week and set up my appointment to see him next week. Here is why….

 {back story} last weekend I was talking to hubbs about how I really want to be an optimist in life. I am in some areas, but also guard myself by not being too optimistic as to not seem naïve or be caught off guard. I told him I didn’t think I was a pessimist, just a realist. He looked at me and said, “if you’re talking about your pregnancy, you’re a pessimist, other things, you're not, just this.” WHY I NEVER!!!! But yes, I always think the worst, I believe this is because I don’t know better. Everything makes me nervous because I don’t know what “normal” is…. {and the internet is the devil}

{flash forward to this week} We see Dr. Young, and he runs another fetal fibronecten, sends us for an ultrasound, and wants to see us weekly.  Why? “ all of this makes him nervous” HAHA! A doctor to finally agree with me and see this from my “realist” point of view. Finally someone has admitted they are nervous too, and it’s a doctor. Not so pessimistic now, am I hubby?

So you better believe I made my next appointment to see him.

 After this week (in week 32) we start NST’s { Non Stress Tests}. These will be 30 minutes long, once or twice a week to monitor each babies heart rate and my contractions for that length of time. I asked if this was a normal/ regular thing, and my doctor said no, just for high risk pregnancies. Ha, more tests for the science experiment over here, but its fine, I don’t mind!

 Hope the weekend was lovely

 -b

29 weeks

 



How far along: 29 weeks, 5 days

Weight gain/loss: +20 lbs. to 156, hit the 20 pound mark (wah wah)

Maternity clothes: yup!

Sleep: I’ve been congested this week so sleep has been tough again, plus this little girl and her itchy allergies sent me to the guest room twice



 

Best moment this week: Seeing the boys at our peri appointment on Monday. They are so funny to watch on the 4D ultrasound.

Food cravings: I’m adding homemade sweet tea to my list of cravings. I have really missed my iced tea, mainly because I buy the Publix kind (unsweetened) but it has caffeine in it, so I decided to make my own decaf version and I can then monitor the sweetness too. I probably make a pitcher every other day! Also my peanut butter, banana and honey sandwiches are a regular lunch item for me!

Food aversions: no real aversions, still can't eat normal portions. Just have to keep eating little a few times a day.

Movement: lots and lots! I love feeling them move. And they are both still getting hiccups regularly.

Gender: BOYS!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, shortened cervix (ugh, I know, see below), anxiety, headaches, congestion.

Miss anything: Being able to go out of the house without feeling like I am going to keel over.

Looking forward to: This week I looked forward to the field trip to Buy Buy Baby hubbs and I had planned out, to fulfill our registry. I saved up all my energy this week to be able to feel good for this little outing yesterday and it happened and all was great! we are ready for these boys! (as much as we can be!)

 Baby/Momma Update:

  Baby update

 The boys are still sharing great and our peri is no longer concerned with twin to twin transfusion. Although this can still occur, the chances are slim and he isn’t concerned about our boys! Heart rates were: Grayson 139 and Greer 148. Next appointment with the Peri we will get full measurements and know how much they are weighing. (these are my favorite appointments) Grayson used to be my little wiggle/kicking worm, but Greer has definitely taken over that role. Grayson now barely moves and Greer flips and kicks all the time.

 

Momma update

Momma had a defeating week to say the least. Everything was great with the boys but my cervix dropped below a 3 (where doctors want it to be or higher) and measured at a 2.8. As soon as I saw the measurement pop up, I said “ What?!, 2.8?” My doctor told me with how my body has been (holding up great) he’s fine with it being higher than a 2.5, but if it dips below that I am looking at bed rest. I felt so defeated.

I was almost in tears, when my doctor looked at me and said, “ just keep monitoring yourself, I know it’s a lot of pressure on you to notice every little thing and know what is abnormal, but you’re the only one that can tell us.” Him saying this, almost took relief off my shoulders. Finally, someone saying out loud to me that they know how much pressure I have been under. I love my Peri, he is amazing. He never makes me feel like anything I feel is silly or my worries are unwarranted.

 This coming up week (Tuesday) we are off to the OB. They like my cervix above a 3 so they might put me on bed rest to be safe.  My Peri is going to have them do another fetal fibronectin test to make sure I am in the clear for the next 2 weeks. When I go back to my peri the week after this, he is going to make the call on if we keep my surgery date the same (in the 34th week) or if we push me week by week. Fingers crossed the littles can stay in as long as possible. But if my cervix as shortened anymore, he’ll keep the surgery where it is.

 Thanks for following along and for all the sweet comments, texts and e-mails.

And a special thanks to my twin mom blog friends for the emotional support this week!

 xo

-b

28 weeks

 

How far along: 28 weeks, 4 days

Weight gain/loss: +18 lbs. to 154

Maternity clothes: Gap maternity tanks are my new thing, along with all my dresses still. I can't beat the dresses, they are the best!

Sleep: Sleep got rough again. With having to get up a few times during the night to pee, its hard to get back into a comfortable position each time, which is hard.

Best moment this week: The boys have started moving around a lot more than usual and both get the hiccups on the regular. I love watching my belly when they get super crazy.

Food cravings: fruit, Publix chocolate chip muffins, frozen Greek Yogurt bars

Food aversions: no real aversions, still can't eat normal portions. Just have to keep eating little a few times a day.

Movement: lots and lots! I love feeling them move. I am going to miss this the most about pregnancy. Sometimes its actually soothing to me.

Gender: BOYS!
 
Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, and a few more meltdowns, mostly about not being able to get comfortable. It seems no matter what I do (sitting, standing, laying down, walking) I can't get comfortable, and this gets frustrating. BUT its all worth it!

Miss anything: Being able to go out of the house without feeling like I am going to keel over.

Looking forward to: Hubbs and I are going to try and attempt a little time at the beach on Sunday. My OB says the best position for me to be in right now is the "reclining" position. Both of our beach chairs recline and we have a pretty big umbrella for shade, so we'll see how it goes. I just need a little time out of the house. Sunday also marks a year since our miscarriage. I figured the beach would be a great place to reflect on how lucky we are and how things have changed in a year. I don't think we ever would have imagined a year ago, that we would be where we are today. We are so blessed and have learned to trust God's timing and plans.

Monday we have another Peri appointment! Excited to see the littles and hear the report on them! We also have a C-section class that night to learn exactly what to expect the day of our surgery.

 

Baby/Momma Update:

  Baby update

 I had a OB appointment on Tuesday and both babies heart rates were great! That's about the only report I get on them at the OB, more info on the babes next week.

 

Momma update

 As for me, the OB did another Fetal Fibronectin (I learned the name this time, thanks Brother). Still waiting for the results, but hopefully no news is good news and it will come back negative and let me know my body has no plans of going into labor in the next 2 weeks.

 

My belly measured at 34 weeks, so I am still 6 weeks ahead according to my body:)

I also asked about this burning/stinging pain right at the top of my belly on the right side. I've had this since my belly has started growing, but it got really bad this week (actually waking me up in the middle of the night) so I asked about it. My OB pressed on to make sure it wasn't painful to the touch (it wasn't).  But she did say it could be my gall bladder, since that's where it gets shoved during pregnancy. So we just need to keep an eye on it.

Have a great weekend!

-b

27 Weeks

 

 

How far along: 27 weeks, 5 days

 

Weight gain/loss: +16 lbs. to 152 (no weight gain this week)

 

Maternity clothes: Lovin' my maxi dresses in this FLA heat!

 

Sleep: Sleep was a little better this week. I'm starting to get uncomfortable in general, so sometimes this carries into bed time and I have a hard time getting to sleep.

 

Best moment this week: We had a peri {high risk} appointment this week and all is still looking good! This week was a measurement week so we got to see how big the boys are {details below} We got our favorite tech this week and she turned on the live 4D camera so we could watch the boys. Greer was being extremely camera shy and facing my back so we couldn't see his face. But Grayson hammed it up for us and smiled nice and big for the camera.

 

 

Food cravings: fruit, chocolate {again, weird for me, usually not a fan} milk, veggies, I've been begging hubbs to take me to Twisty Treat, still hasn't happened {jerk}

 

 Food aversions: still meat and big portions {although our menu this week had a lot of chicken on it and I ate my fair share}

 

Movement: lots and lots! I love feeling them move. I think feeling an arm or foot or elbow move across my belly is way cooler than a kick.

Both boys get the hiccups all the time too!

 

Gender: BOYS!

 

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, still getting the pinching when I sit down indian style, an back pain. Friday night we went to dinner with two of our friends, I think we were only there 2 hours, and the last hour I was struggling. I don't even remember the last 20 minutes of dinner or walking out. We had to sit in the parking lot for a bit after so I could calm down and relax my body. I've never been in such pain or been that dizzy/anxious. We've figured out an hour is my limit. {we also went to Babies R Us to fulfill one of our registries on Saturday and after we got in the car I was done, again, back to the hour time limit}

 

Miss anything: (people keep asking me about this so I figured I'd include it) I miss being able to go to a store or out to dinner without feeling like I'm going die. And I miss popping my back. Ya know, the really good one when you twist from side to side and every vertebrae cracks? yea, those.

 

Looking forward to: Another OB apt this week. These appointments aren't the fun ones, just belly measurements and heart beats on the littles via Doppler { my sweet friend Leah actually loaned me hers at the start of my pregnancy, so I do these at home anyway} But it's nice to go to the OB and chat about symptoms and know that everything I am feeling is normal

 

Baby/Momma Update:

 

 Baby update
 

 Grayson:

Heart rate: 139

Measuring: 2 lbs, 6 ounces

 

 Greer:

Heart rate: 148

Measuring: 2 lbs, 7 ounces

 

We had another measurement week this week (every 4 weeks) and Twin to Twin measurement (every other week). Both boys look great! They are sharing and measuring perfectly. When they measure their heads, bellies, kidneys, hearts and bladders, that determines their weight and if they are sharing or not. For Mo-Di twins, they want their measurements to be within 20% or lower of each other... ours are within 3% of each other... perfect:) Twin to Twin chances lower at 28 weeks (which is Tuesday for me!) and if they happen to get TTT after that the surgery to fix it is much less invasive. So excited and proud we made it here!

 

 Momma update

 As for me, I couldn't be more proud of my body. Its holding up beautifully. My cervix was at 4.4 and the vasa previa is no longer covering its (still 1cm away). Our doctor says he's just going to keep monitoring it, and when we get to 34, see how my body looks then and try and push me week by week. But talks we had about putting me on hospital bed rest at the beginning of my pregnancy aren't a thought anymore (for now). Thank GOD!

 ... and I passed my glucose screening... thank God again!

 I've had a few meltdowns this week. I've been pretty proud of myself for not having a lot of these during my pregnancy, but I might have made up for it this week:)(and maybe last week) But I am so excited to meet these boys and keep them in my belly as long as possible!

 

Hope y'all had a great weekend!

-b

 



Friday's Letters

 

It's been a while since I've done Friday's Letters, so I am excited to be here again....

 

A - I'm not sure what I would do without you. You make my every day easier, my meltdowns manageable and my anxiety minimal. Thank you for being the partner I've always dreamed of. I love you more than you will ever know.

 

G&G - you are growing and sharing so well. I'm hoping my body (your house) holds up until 37 weeks so you can have a bit more time to cook. You have no idea how spoiled you already are. We can't wait for you to get here and grow our family. we love you.

 

Body - thank you for doing what you aren't designed to do. I am so grateful you are holding up like you are and growing our two boys perfectly. I am forever thankful and will continue to take good care of you. promise.

 

online shopping - since you're the only thing recreational I can do, you're officially out of control. At least G&G give me an excuse.

 

sleep - I miss you

 

every day routine - I also miss you. being able to jet off and run errands or run around and do things around the house never sounded so good. I know I'll laugh at this one day, but I can't wait to get back to you and start feeling normal again.

 

Braxton Hicks - you make it impossible to do anything.

 

twin mom friends- thank you for your support over the past 6+ months. I am so blessed to be a part of this twin mom world. You women are amazing!

 

Fall  - I am so excited for you to get here. I already have football décor up and fall candles purchased!

 

happy Friday y'all!

 

-b



26 weeks

* I didn't chalk or get a bump pic last week...blog fail, I'm sorry!*

How far along: 26 weeks, 5 days

Weight gain/loss: +16 lbs. to 152

Maternity clothes: yes! and my pre-pregnancy shirts are starting to be too short:(

 
Sleep: this is off and on. It depends what kind of night the boys are having {and how much water I drank before bed}
 
Best moment this week: I had an OB appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Young. He is very detailed and instead of just measuring my belly and listening to the heart beats on the Doppler, with twins he likes to see them on an ultra sound. So he sent me to see my favorite tech, Monique, to get these!!! Heart rates were great and he also had my cervix measured as the only thing that changed from my baseline (explanation below) was that I was getting a severe pinching feeling right above my pelvis, that caused me to keel over in pain and had me in tears once. Measurement came back at a 5!!!

Food cravings: fruit

 

Food aversions: still meat and big portions

Movement: lots and lots, Grayson got the hiccups twice this week, once on Saturday and again this morning (sunday) and Adam got to feel. {he still doesn't believe me that babies get hiccups in the belly}
  
Gender: BOYS!

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, severe pinching feeling once a day, cramping and lower back pain.

Looking forward to: We have another Peri appointment on Wednesday and the boys get everything measured, so we will know how big they are and how much each weighs! These are my favorite!

NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO: my glucose test on Tuesday... I've heard horrible things.

Baby/Momma Update: To explain my "baseline" ... Right now my baseline is about 3-4 Braxton hicks daily. This is what is "normal" for my body without shortening my cervix. So if anything changes, more Braxton Hicks, cramping, pinching, etc. happen, I have to notify my OB. They then check my measurement and see if that new feeling is effecting my length. If not, that gets added to my baseline and is considered "okay" for time being.

 

On Thursday night, I had severe cramping that carried into Friday morning, so I made the decision to notify my doctors office. They brought me in around 10am on Friday morning. Checked babies heart beats on the Doppler and then did a swab test (I am completely drawing a blank as to what this test is called) that is a marker for labor. So, they swab, and if the marker comes back positive, that means there is a chance your body will go into labor in the next 2 weeks, if its negative, you wont. For me, if it was positive, Dr. Bray told me she would order steroids for the boys Saturday and Sunday and admit me to monitor me for contractions and control them if they came. (this scared the crap out of me) Thankfully at 4pm, they called with negative test results. But did say, they are going to start this with me every 2 weeks.

 

again, sorry for the delay, I have received texts and e-mails about waiting on an update. We've been busy, busy, busy around here on the weekends.

 

xo

-b