The girls are really growing! And boy are they moving around a lot.
Most of the week by week info I've read said they are about 3 pounds now. I just can't imagine two kids that size coming out of my body. It's crazy when you stop and think about it. They have also reached the stage where all 5 of their senses are developed and their lungs are fully capable of breathing. If born today they would have a 90% chance of not only surviving but of needing very little medical intervention. I'm so proud of them already. Its been a long road, and so amazing to see them transform from two little balls of cells to fully developed babies.
My legs and hands are still swelling, but not too bad. I do have a hard time staying comfortable. I can't sit or lay in one position for long at all anymore. I went to see a movie on Sunday and it took me two days to stop being achy from it. So I guess no more movies for me for a while.
I have another level 2 ultra sound on Thursday next week. Hopefully we'll have more pictures for next week's post. I'm actually really excited about this ultra sound because I think that Allison has dropped. I can feel her either kicking or punching me much lower than she used to. I really wish Emmily would drop as well. My ribs would feel SOOO much better. It will be nice to see exactly where they are and how they are doing.
Family Pic
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
28 Weeks
I can't believe it, another week down. The girls are getting bigger and stronger every day.
We had 3 exciting days in a row this week. First was our baby party on Sunday. We had such a good time. Everyone and everything was very relaxed, which is just our style! We were definitely overwhelmed by the number of people that were able to come. The girls got so many cute outfits and lots of baby gear that we definitely needed. Allison and Emmily are very spoiled already! Thank you to everyone!!
On Monday, I took Shadow to have surgery on his tail. He had a benign tumor that needed to be removed. The doctor had me stay there and help to hold his head while they have him his shot. It was so sad to leave him like that. He was a good boy for them though and he's been handling it like a champ! He tried to lick at it a couple of times on Tuesday. I actually thought I was going to have to go and get an Elizabethan Collar for him, but he's leaving it alone now.
Tuesday I had another check up. The did the gestational diabetes test while I was there. I was very nervous about the drink. I've heard so many stories of how difficult it is to drink and some people even having a hard time keeping it down. I was very happy because I didn't think it was bad at all. Kind of like a very sweet orange Gatorade. The last few sips were the hardest, kind of like trying to finish off the last bit of the chocolate frosting from a triple chocolate cake. The doctor appointment went well. He said he thinks I am doing a very good job. He gave me some tips on meds I can take and how often and told me to try and keep my feet up as much as I can to help with the little bits of swelling. I will go in for our next doctor appointment in 3 weeks, and our next level two ultra sound is in two weeks.
Wednesday was my day to revel in the new goodies the girls got over the weekend. I washed, organized and hung all their clothes. I unpacked all their bath stuff, stored their diapers and washed their new blankets. I had so much fun daydreaming about how they will look in their matching outfits and got different ideas of things I want them to wear for pictures. We still have furniture that doesn't belong in their room, so I couldn't get everything organized and set up, but I got a very good start! I purchased 80 hangers for them and actually ended up using ALL 80 of them. Their Aunt Rachelle gave us a big tub of clothes that Kenzee has out grown. That on top of all the adorable outfits they got at the party, their closet is stocked for the first 3 or 4 months. I even put a few things aside to take to the hospital with us.
My Mom had a great idea of asking everyone to bring books instead of cards. The girls have quite a little library going already! I've even started reading a story or two to them a day. I can't wait for them to have a regular story time before going to bed.
I am getting more and more excited the closer we get. If they are born at the 36 week twin average, then we only have 8 weeks left!
We had 3 exciting days in a row this week. First was our baby party on Sunday. We had such a good time. Everyone and everything was very relaxed, which is just our style! We were definitely overwhelmed by the number of people that were able to come. The girls got so many cute outfits and lots of baby gear that we definitely needed. Allison and Emmily are very spoiled already! Thank you to everyone!!
On Monday, I took Shadow to have surgery on his tail. He had a benign tumor that needed to be removed. The doctor had me stay there and help to hold his head while they have him his shot. It was so sad to leave him like that. He was a good boy for them though and he's been handling it like a champ! He tried to lick at it a couple of times on Tuesday. I actually thought I was going to have to go and get an Elizabethan Collar for him, but he's leaving it alone now.
Tuesday I had another check up. The did the gestational diabetes test while I was there. I was very nervous about the drink. I've heard so many stories of how difficult it is to drink and some people even having a hard time keeping it down. I was very happy because I didn't think it was bad at all. Kind of like a very sweet orange Gatorade. The last few sips were the hardest, kind of like trying to finish off the last bit of the chocolate frosting from a triple chocolate cake. The doctor appointment went well. He said he thinks I am doing a very good job. He gave me some tips on meds I can take and how often and told me to try and keep my feet up as much as I can to help with the little bits of swelling. I will go in for our next doctor appointment in 3 weeks, and our next level two ultra sound is in two weeks.
Wednesday was my day to revel in the new goodies the girls got over the weekend. I washed, organized and hung all their clothes. I unpacked all their bath stuff, stored their diapers and washed their new blankets. I had so much fun daydreaming about how they will look in their matching outfits and got different ideas of things I want them to wear for pictures. We still have furniture that doesn't belong in their room, so I couldn't get everything organized and set up, but I got a very good start! I purchased 80 hangers for them and actually ended up using ALL 80 of them. Their Aunt Rachelle gave us a big tub of clothes that Kenzee has out grown. That on top of all the adorable outfits they got at the party, their closet is stocked for the first 3 or 4 months. I even put a few things aside to take to the hospital with us.
My Mom had a great idea of asking everyone to bring books instead of cards. The girls have quite a little library going already! I've even started reading a story or two to them a day. I can't wait for them to have a regular story time before going to bed.
I am getting more and more excited the closer we get. If they are born at the 36 week twin average, then we only have 8 weeks left!
Friday, July 17, 2009
27 Weeks
I thought this was going to be a slow week, but it turned out to be just the opposite.
The girls have been very active this week. We've gotten to the phase where it can actually hurt when they move. Few times this past week each of them have made me jump and say "ouch." Emmily is still doing a number on my ribs. They have been sore every day this week.
Craig was able to feel each of the girls move last weekend. We went to one of his co-worker's to watch the UFC fight on Saturday and Allison was kicking and punching quite a bit. Craig said she's going to be his little fighter.
On Monday we had our hospital tour. It was incredibly informative. I was very sad to find out that I will only be able to see them for a minute before they will be taken from the operating room while my cesarean is finished up. Craig will be able to go with them to the nursery (its actually the NICU, because that's the only nursery they have) and they will stay there until I get into the recovery room, about 45 minutes. They will do all their screenings and tests while in the NICU, so I won't know how they are doing until my surgery is done. The thought of them being away and not knowing how they are for so long has me pretty upset, so I plan on talking to the doctor about it on Tuesday to see if they will let someone come and let me know.
I've kind of started packing for the hospital. Nothing major at this point, just collecting sample size toiletries and putting them aside in a bag. I've also made a list of things to take with us so I have an idea of what we have and what we need.
Monday I also had to take Shadow to the vet. We found a lump on his tail. Turns out its a benign tumor. We can choose to do nothing, but the more it grows the less of a chance there is they will be able to remove it. I guess there isn't much skin on the tail, so if it gets too big, they can't stitch it back up. The vet on Monday wanted $880 to do the surgery. YIKES! To be fair, this price also included cleaning his teeth and a biopsy (if we chose to do one) of the tumor.
Thursday I went to another vet we had been to that is all the way across town (about an hour away). He's only going to charge us $225 to do the surgery. He said Shadow doesn't in any way need his teeth cleaned. Actually, I guess most large dogs who are on dry food never do. Also he's 99% sure the tumor is benign, so there is no need to do the biopsy. So he is scheduled for his surgery Monday morning at 9:30.
This weekend is our baby party at my sister's house. I am starting to get very excited! I've had several people say how excited they were to show me what they found for the girls. How can anyone not be excited when hearing that?!?! For everyone who is in town, we look forward to seeing you. For everyone who is out of town, we will miss not having you there.
The girls have been very active this week. We've gotten to the phase where it can actually hurt when they move. Few times this past week each of them have made me jump and say "ouch." Emmily is still doing a number on my ribs. They have been sore every day this week.
Craig was able to feel each of the girls move last weekend. We went to one of his co-worker's to watch the UFC fight on Saturday and Allison was kicking and punching quite a bit. Craig said she's going to be his little fighter.
On Monday we had our hospital tour. It was incredibly informative. I was very sad to find out that I will only be able to see them for a minute before they will be taken from the operating room while my cesarean is finished up. Craig will be able to go with them to the nursery (its actually the NICU, because that's the only nursery they have) and they will stay there until I get into the recovery room, about 45 minutes. They will do all their screenings and tests while in the NICU, so I won't know how they are doing until my surgery is done. The thought of them being away and not knowing how they are for so long has me pretty upset, so I plan on talking to the doctor about it on Tuesday to see if they will let someone come and let me know.
I've kind of started packing for the hospital. Nothing major at this point, just collecting sample size toiletries and putting them aside in a bag. I've also made a list of things to take with us so I have an idea of what we have and what we need.
Monday I also had to take Shadow to the vet. We found a lump on his tail. Turns out its a benign tumor. We can choose to do nothing, but the more it grows the less of a chance there is they will be able to remove it. I guess there isn't much skin on the tail, so if it gets too big, they can't stitch it back up. The vet on Monday wanted $880 to do the surgery. YIKES! To be fair, this price also included cleaning his teeth and a biopsy (if we chose to do one) of the tumor.
Thursday I went to another vet we had been to that is all the way across town (about an hour away). He's only going to charge us $225 to do the surgery. He said Shadow doesn't in any way need his teeth cleaned. Actually, I guess most large dogs who are on dry food never do. Also he's 99% sure the tumor is benign, so there is no need to do the biopsy. So he is scheduled for his surgery Monday morning at 9:30.
This weekend is our baby party at my sister's house. I am starting to get very excited! I've had several people say how excited they were to show me what they found for the girls. How can anyone not be excited when hearing that?!?! For everyone who is in town, we look forward to seeing you. For everyone who is out of town, we will miss not having you there.
Friday, July 10, 2009
26 weeks
One more week down. Statistically they have an 80% chance of survival if they were to be born today. I haven't had any contractions or even braxton hicks contractions, so I'm positive these two are quite comfy and plan to stay put for a while.
I'm still swelling a little in my ankles and feet, but not as much as a couple of weeks ago. Really the only complaint I have is my ribs and upper back. I'm sore all day, and by the evening they really hurt.
I think both girls (at different times) had the hiccups this week. I could feel their entire bodies move. It was very cute, even though Allison's were at 3:30 in the morning.
Craig has tried a couple of times this week to feel them move, but he couldn't feel anything. I could still feel them moving, but I guess they just weren't kicking quite as hard.
We wanted to make sure to do the hospital tour in July while we know I'm still mobile. Turns out they only do them a couple times a month. So, we are scheduled to go on Monday. I'm actually excited about it because we'll have a lay of the land, so to speak. We'll also learn all about their safety procedures and what to expect when it is time to have the girls.
That's pretty much all from us this week. Craig's still working on the tile. He wanted to take today off to work on it, but he ended up having to go into work for a few hours. I've been taking pictures, and will post them as we get closer to being done.
I'm still swelling a little in my ankles and feet, but not as much as a couple of weeks ago. Really the only complaint I have is my ribs and upper back. I'm sore all day, and by the evening they really hurt.
I think both girls (at different times) had the hiccups this week. I could feel their entire bodies move. It was very cute, even though Allison's were at 3:30 in the morning.
Craig has tried a couple of times this week to feel them move, but he couldn't feel anything. I could still feel them moving, but I guess they just weren't kicking quite as hard.
We wanted to make sure to do the hospital tour in July while we know I'm still mobile. Turns out they only do them a couple times a month. So, we are scheduled to go on Monday. I'm actually excited about it because we'll have a lay of the land, so to speak. We'll also learn all about their safety procedures and what to expect when it is time to have the girls.
That's pretty much all from us this week. Craig's still working on the tile. He wanted to take today off to work on it, but he ended up having to go into work for a few hours. I've been taking pictures, and will post them as we get closer to being done.
Friday, July 3, 2009
25 Weeks - 100th Post
How perfect did this work out? In the blogging world, the 100th post is considered a big deal. That posting is always special in some way or another. For me, it just happens to coincide with a big milestone in my pregnancy, 25 WEEKS!!!! Our girls are officially viable!
This is probably something that most people wouldn't even give a second thought to. But for those of us that have been through the heart ache of infertility and witnessed the pain others in our support groups have gone through, this is a very big deal.
Of course there are a million things that could go wrong between now and their birth, and another million that could happen upon their birth, but the point is... they will be born. They can now survive outside of my body, should they need to. Granted there would be a considerable amount of medical intervention to support them, but they can survive.
We will be able to see them, hold them, take pictures of them and just love them. Its something that can not be taken away from us now. We are having twin girls. Two sweet, sweet baby girls. We can dream about how they will look. What color will their eyes be, how much hair will they have, will they look so much a like that we won't be able to tell them apart, will they have subtle differences that only those closest to them will notice, or will they have big difference so everyone can tell who is who?
The girls are growing normally, right on schedule. We've seen through ultrasounds that their hearts, brains and spinal cords are forming perfectly. Most of the hard work of development is done, now all they need to do is continue to get bigger and stronger. I'm already so proud of my girls.
I wonder if Allison going to be our wild child who tries to do what she wants when she wants, like she seems to be doing now? Is Emmily going to be our cuddle bug, always worming her way into tight cuddles like she does in my ribs?
I realize that some of our family and friends have already allowed their thoughts to flow along these paths, but I haven't much. The instinct to protect my heart until this week came was too strong. But this magical week is finally here. The past two days have been incredibly emotional for me. The release of fears, the acceptance of birth. It has been simply overwhelming.
Our girls are coming, and we only have 11 more weeks to wait!
This is probably something that most people wouldn't even give a second thought to. But for those of us that have been through the heart ache of infertility and witnessed the pain others in our support groups have gone through, this is a very big deal.
Of course there are a million things that could go wrong between now and their birth, and another million that could happen upon their birth, but the point is... they will be born. They can now survive outside of my body, should they need to. Granted there would be a considerable amount of medical intervention to support them, but they can survive.
We will be able to see them, hold them, take pictures of them and just love them. Its something that can not be taken away from us now. We are having twin girls. Two sweet, sweet baby girls. We can dream about how they will look. What color will their eyes be, how much hair will they have, will they look so much a like that we won't be able to tell them apart, will they have subtle differences that only those closest to them will notice, or will they have big difference so everyone can tell who is who?
The girls are growing normally, right on schedule. We've seen through ultrasounds that their hearts, brains and spinal cords are forming perfectly. Most of the hard work of development is done, now all they need to do is continue to get bigger and stronger. I'm already so proud of my girls.
I wonder if Allison going to be our wild child who tries to do what she wants when she wants, like she seems to be doing now? Is Emmily going to be our cuddle bug, always worming her way into tight cuddles like she does in my ribs?
I realize that some of our family and friends have already allowed their thoughts to flow along these paths, but I haven't much. The instinct to protect my heart until this week came was too strong. But this magical week is finally here. The past two days have been incredibly emotional for me. The release of fears, the acceptance of birth. It has been simply overwhelming.
Our girls are coming, and we only have 11 more weeks to wait!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)