Just the Stork

Less than 9 weeks now! I have been working on blankets for the babies, because I will take any excuse to buy yarn and start a project, but it has also been a great distraction. When my body starts to really hurt, usually at the end of the day, I get as comfortable as I can and crochet something that I hope will turn out to be a special little gift. Nice way to take my mind off any discomfort. The belly is starting to make a nice little platform to rest the blanket on while I'm working. Our summer has kicked off relatively smooth, other than Briella falling down the stairs and fracturing her wrist. Luckily kids bones bend more than actually break so her cast should only have to stay on 2-3 weeks, and she enjoyed the down time at first, resting with me when I needed to rest. We are having a BBQ and birthday celebration for Dave this weekend and Jacob the first week in August. Usually I am deeply involved in the planning and quite controlling to make sure every last detail is perfec...

Hello third trimester! Glucose test and growth scan were done at yesterdays appointment. We should have the glucose results back shortly and the babies are looking great. Her heart rate was 143 and his was 141 and they are both weighing in a 2 pounds 11 ounces, with her weighing a could grams less than him. And both are head down, with his head a little lower than hers at this point, but that could be because I swear his little toes are wrapped around my ribs to get leverage to stretch out more. The babies are moving all the time, which is always reassuring. It is much more obvious that I am pregnant so I have talked with our daughter to make sure she has a good understanding of how to tell other people when they ask about the babies. We like to say that I am "babysitting" and that they are not actually her siblings. It amazes me how kids just say ok and move on while the adults are always the ones with questions. It has been nice to talk about the experience with people wh...

Last week of the second trimester! The babies are moving like crazy, especially the little boy. I'm pretty sure he is trying to escape right out my side at times, possibly swinging from my ribs for leverage. He may be an acrobat in training. Standing is getting a little more uncomfortable as I feel more front heavy, but I can still get some what comfortable sitting or laying down. When I think about how front heavy I feel now, I just flash forward in my mind to 10 weeks from now and then I don't feel so bad knowing what is coming. And I have stopped googling images of women who are 36+ weeks pregnant with twins... This is the last week of school for the kids so we are planning a full summer for them with camps and visiting family. They will all be heading to New Jersey for a couple of weeks in late July so I will get the house to myself. In my head there is a list of things I am looking forward to getting done but who knows what a month from now will look like. I just bought...

What started with a virus or cold Thursday turned right into allergies over the weekend. I went to the doctor Friday just to confirm I did not have strep, and happy to report I do not but they said it was probably the same viral annoyance many others have been coming in for. So lots of fluid and rest were in my future for the weekend. Luckily the razor blade feeling in my throat has significantly decreased but the congestion and sinus pressure from allergies has drained the rest of my energy and has made sleeping more of a challenge. Now I remember how bad my allergies were the summer I was pregnant with Jacob, but I believe that with some (doc approved) medications and a couple of weeks to adjust, the allergies became bearable. Finger crossed this too shall pass quickly! The doctors appointment went well today, no growth scan this time since we just had it done again at UVM. The babies are both back to being head down and look nice and healthy in there with heart rates of 141 (her)...

 It seems as though I have got to the point in pregnancy where if I drop something, I call it a loss and walk away. Bending over becomes a bit more of a challenge each day, because of comfort but also my lungs get squeezed like a whoopee cushion when I bend down. Also, walking upstairs leaves me breathless just because my lungs cant fully inflate. However, there are times when I get in just the right position to allow my lungs to expand enough to actually take a deep breath and those moments are magical! I have kept a close eye out for swelling and while I don't notice any visually, it does feel like my shoes fit a little bit tighter and there are some days when it is harder to get my ring back on. The babies continue to swim and kick around like crazy, and while painful at times, it is reassuring to feel their movement. Each week that passes is one week closer to happy, healthy babies when they come out. (Only!) 13 weeks to go. However, the 25 week mark is a bit a of a mileston...

The babies are getting more active by the day. You can feel movement on the outside now but not nearly as much as I feel on the inside. Our next appointment is tomorrow at UVMMC for a follow up scan to check on the baby girl's nose and lips and umbilical cord, hopefully she not as shy as she was during her last 2 hour scan and smiles for the camera! I am assuming everything is just fine in there but it is always nice to have the conformation. UPDATE: The scan at UVMMC went great, the ultrasound tech was able to see where the umbilical cord interested to the placenta right away and was able to find her nose and lips right after. He did another anatomy scan and everything is growing as it should be. She is now breach which explains why it feels like she is trying to kick her way out at times and is now a little bladder ninja. He is still head down and likes to rest his feet up in my rib cage. Their heart rates were 147 (her) and 138 (him), right in the normal range and they both w...

We have hit the five month mark! I had an OB appointment today where they did an ultrasound to check the heartbeats which were 148(her) and 129(him). To me this seemed like quite a big difference, since they have been so similar each visit and the doctor said they were both good heartbeats. They like see them between 110 and 160. I asked about the scan we had done at 20 weeks and what follow up was needed and was surprised when she said I would need to return to The UVM Medical Center to follow up on the nose/lips and umbilical cord. The doctor said she they do not do anatomy ultrasounds in the office anymore. Also I would need to start coming in every two weeks starting around 25 weeks instead of every 4 weeks so they can monitor growth. I scheduled the next check up at 26 weeks for a growth check and another at 28 weeks for a growth check and the second glucose test. The ultrasound today was quick, she said she was really just looking at the heartbeats to make sure they sounded g...