33 weeks

Yay! We can now deliver at the hospital near our house. The girls are now far enough developed that we won't have to be transferred to a specialty hospital. All these small milestones are really adding up. Every week they stay in the healthier they will be! Average birth for twins is 36 weeks, just 3 weeks away! I know I keep saying this, but it just blows my mind. The three people I know who have had twins (all boys) delivered at 34, 35 & 37 weeks. Our girls are going to be here any time now!

My doctor pretty much said the same thing at my appointment this week. He said I am doing really good, which was nice to hear from him. I haven't had any contractions, just the couple braxton hicks a couple of weeks ago. Because of that he decided to go ahead and schedule the 38 week cesarean. He still doesn't think I'll go that far, but he wants it on the books just in case, he also wants to make sure there isn't any miscommunication at the hospital when I do go into labor about them doing a cesarean.

My next appointment is in two weeks. After that I start going every week. He thinks it could be any time once my weekly appointments start. He also told me not to worry about pre-term labor anymore. We obviously want them to stay in as long as they need to, but when I go into labor that means they are ready to come. I was so nice to hear that!

That is the big news of the past week. It's actually been a pretty fast week. Craig was gone from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon. I didn't sleep much the first night and was sore and tired on Wednesday. I met some friends for lunch that got me out of the house for a little bit. Then I cleaned up the house as best as I could Thursday morning so it would be clean when Craig got home. I know I hate coming home to a dirty house and chores to do. It took me the majority of the day, and I really didn't do much only dishes and vacuuming. I'm just very slow and have to take breaks because I start to get breathless if I do too much.

There is still A LOT of tile left to be done. I'm really worried we are going to run out of time. The last thing I want to happen is to have the house being put back together while I'm recovering from a cesarean and taking care of two newborns. There is no way it will actually get done! We are going to take advantage of this weekend. Its one of Craig's 3 day weekends and I've set up for a couple of friends to come and stay the entire day today.

Hopefully the guys can a good days worth of work done on the tile. While us girls get some things done like cleaning out the other half of the girls' closet, and the small things that not longer belong in their room. Rearranging the kitchen so I can start to fit their bottles and such in the cabinets. Brushing out the dogs, cleaning the pool. All things I can no longer do on my own, and that have been pushed aside so Craig can work on the tile.

32 weeks

That gives us 4 weeks to get ready (6 if they are stubborn). Most single pregnancies, the baby is gaining about 1/2 pound per week. However, I read on a twins website that in twin pregnancies, the babies gain less weight per week in exchange for increased lung development. Also, for some reason, girls tend to develop faster than boys. So I think we are in good shape to plan on having babies in 4 weeks!

I turned into the grumpy pregnant lady this week, and I don't really like it. The poor dogs have gotten the brunt of it. Craig had the good sense to go to the gym every night this week, so he's pretty much been spared. We also have an agreement where I can just tell him that I'm uncomfortable or feeling grumpy and he knows to back off and not get mad at me if I get snippy.

I think the majority of my grumpiness comes from not being able to breath properly. The girls are fighting for space and will often move in opposite directions to the sides of my belly. That does not feel good, and makes breathing even more difficult. Craig says when they do that it looks like I've swallowed a Cheerios box because my belly becomes almost square.

The combination of now being 8 months pregnant and lack of oxygen has made me very sleepy during the late morning, so I've been getting some naps in. They pretty much only last an hour though because which ever side I'm laying on gets sore. Which, I'm told, is just par for the course. I have to say though that it is all completely worth it. I would gladly go through this all again if it means we have healthy babies.

I have a doctor appointment on Monday. Its the first of the every other week appointments. I haven't had any real contractions or even anything out of the ordinary, so I'm sure it will be another one of the quick and boring appointments. Which is always a good thing. I'm glad the appointment is on Monday because Craig will be out of town Tuesday through Thursday. It will give us both peace of mind before he leaves for three days. My Mom and friend Heather will be checking on me during the time he's gone, so I'll be well cared for.

31 weeks

We are just plugging right along. Another week down, about 5 left to go. I'm getting more excited about having these girls, and more nervous that we just aren't prepared.

I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday. It was another one of the simple boring appointments, which is a good thing for now. I did get to ask the doctor about the c-section. He doesn't want to schedule one for now. Scheduled ones are usually done at 38 weeks and he doesn't think I'll get that far. However, if these girls get nice and cozy and decided to stay put longer than expected then he will go ahead and schedule one for the Monday after I turn 38 weeks. Which is October 5th. So that is the latest date the girls will be born. He had me scheduled my next three appointments all 2 weeks apart, but told me that I will probably have more in between them. He agrees that they will be born around 36 weeks!

On Thursday we met some of Craig's co-workers for baby shower. It was really nice and the girls are even more spoiled now. We were blown away by the generosity of everybody! I have to comment on the cake and the diaper cakes. I have never seen diaper cakes like these! They each had a receiving blanket, a burp cloth, onesie, hair bows and bottle. So neat. The cake had two teddy bears, actual complete teddy bears that were made out of cake. Very impressive.

Craig is still working on the tile. He is getting help from a friend all three days this weekend. He thinks he should have it done in two, maybe three weekends. Its cutting it close, but I hope he's right.

I am going shopping this weekend hoping to get the last few things we need, and maybe even a few things we don't need.

30 weeks

We have "growers & feeders." I’ve been told that is the term the NICU uses for babies born from this point on. Generally from here on out babies only need to learn how to eat and get big enough to go home. We are, of course, hoping they stay in a little longer, but its nice to know we are pretty much in the clear.

I forgot to mention last week that I passed the dreaded sugar test. I was worried about it because I was at high risk for developing gestation diabetes. Because of that my doctors kept me on metformin. I’m sure that’s one of the reasons I passed because I have been addicted to carbs.

My blood work did, however, show that I was slightly anemic. So, I started iron supplements. It took a few days, but wow! I have had so much more energy since Monday. The only problem I have is that my energy now out weighs my physical ability. That can be frustrating at times, but at the same time, it is great to have energy again.

I am past ready to have their room in order. Craig is still working on the tile. I’d say he’s about half way there. On top of that he now wants to have the carpet replaced in their room and the office before we set it up. I don’t know how that is all going to happen before the girls are born. I’m starting to get very nervous about being ready. I know their room can be finished afterwards, but when will I find the time to finish it after they are born? Besides wouldn’t it be much more convenient to have things like diapers and clothes easily accessible?

I had another level 2 ultra sound yesterday. The girls are measuring right on track. Allison is measuring in the high 40 percentile (about 3 lbs 1 oz) and Emmily is measuring in the low 50 percentile (about 3 lbs 7 oz). The weights are estimated by measuring the circumference of their bellies, the circumference of their heads and the length of their femur bones. I don't have those exact measurements, but Emmily's femur bone was noticeable longer than Allison's. It seems that Emmily has my legs, and Allison has Craig's.

Here is Allison's picture. She is waving her hand.
Here is Emmily's picture. You can see her ribs and spine.
Allison is totally breech. She is head up with her little bottom down so low that her legs are forced up. Emmily's head is next to Allison's but still a little higher. She is all stretched out still and her legs go over the top of Allison's belly. Even though they are side by side, their sacks are connected one on top of the other. So while they can't really switch positions, they can float around within their fluid sacks. They still have some time and a little bit of room to move, but the tech said they don't always move into better positions.

I have an appointment with my regular doctor Monday afternoon. I plan on talking to him about the c-section. I know most doctors like to wait until after 37 weeks to schedule one, but twins are normally born around 36 weeks. So, I'm not sure if he's going to schedule one or just wait until I start having contractions. I guess I'll find out on Monday.