35weeks 2days w/ belly pictures

I can't believe I've made it this far. I am truly counting down the days now. Sometimes it still seems surreal...the fact that I'll be bringing home my two baby boys very shortly. J and I are about to become parents. I already consider myself a mother. I've been a mother for the last 9 months. It has been a very long journey to get to this point and I truly thought at times that we would never be blessed with biological children. I am so thankful that we never gave up. Every miserable and heart breaking moment has been worth it. All of the financial cost has been the best money we've ever spent. The majority of this pregnancy has truly sucked. I wish I could say I loved being pregnant but I didn't. But- I'd would do each and every day all over again in a heartbeat. My babies have thrived inside me and I pray they are born healthy. My body came through and did what it was supposed to.

I give so many thanks to J especially for standing by me through every second and by being incredibly supportive. J- you are going to be such an amazing Father. I can't wait to watch it.

We have our last scheduled growth ultrasound tomorrow. I'm looking forward to hearing the estimated weights of the babies. Dr. H will also start checking my cervix twice a week now on. I'll be having a C-section and it could occur any day...but most likely in a week to ten days.

I hope to update one last time next weekend....




35 weeks 2 days pregnant w/ my twin boys.



35 weeks 2 days
Look at how much that belly has grown in just the last few weeks. And yes- for the record...everything hurts. Especially my ribs. There is no room left in there.

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33 weeks 3 days w/ Belly Picture

Another week down. Not much longer to go. I really thought I would feel less movement the last few weeks since they don't have much room to move but boy was I wrong. They seem to wrestle and kick all day and night long. I still enjoy those sensations for the most part. Today I was poking at baby A (Andrew) and he'd push right back each time. I felt like we were playing a game. But- sometimes when one moves or rolls his whole body it causes both of them to stretch my belly into unnatural contortions. I'll have such a lopsided belly and you can see exactly where they are. It's pretty painful at times especially when baby B (Matthew) is in my ribs which happens all of time now.

I'm grateful that I have no responsibilities right now other than growing these babies for a few more weeks. I rarely sleep more than an hour or two straight b/c I am never comfortable and have to move from laying on my right side to my left side and so on constantly and moving this belly isn't an easy feat anymore... J will wake up to hearing me huffing and puffing and trying to get comfortable and I also have to pee every few hours all night long. Even thought I rarely get much sleep I am able to rest almost all day between hospital and doctor appointments. If I had other children that would not be the case. I still do more than I'm supposed to since I was ordered on bed rest but that is b/c I'm so restless and antsy at times and not b/c I have to. I am allowed to spent some time floating in a pool so I've been doing that a few days a week. It feels so great! I could stay in there all day. Not only does it feel great to feel weightless for a while but there are additional benefits. Constipation has been a major problem this entire pregnancy even w/ a daily dose of Colace and tons of fiber in my diet- but each time I spend time in the pool I seem to have a bowel movement later that day. TMI I know....but for someone that has been going only once a week it's seriously appreciated. It must be b/c the weight is lifted off of my intestines so things can move along or b/c I am able to move around some instead of being pretty much sedentary.

J got our car seats installed this weekend. It seems that most vehicles aren't built to handle two rear facing car seats. We have a Honda Pilot (SUV) which has 3 rows of seats and lots of room. But... most people have one baby under the age of one at a time and put the rear facing car seat in the middle seat. We had to put one behind the passenger and driver seats and they make it so there is no room to recline or put the front seats back very far. J can still drive but it won't be that comfortable.

Also on a side note- I know brown spots on the face are common in pregnancy and caused by hormones but I actually have several light colored markings. One looks like an irregular shaped (quarter sized) white spot on my cheek bone. I haven't heard anything about this happening. Anyone happen to know? Hopefully it goes away after I deliver b/c they are pretty noticeable and hard to cover up w/ make up. Another lovely side effect has been some spider veins on the side of my lower thighs. I know it's all for the best cause possible and I'm not that bothered by it. I'm still grateful that I've made it this far w/out stretch marks. Maybe...just maybe that will be something I can avoid which I think I certainly deserve with all I've gone through during this pregnancy. I already have several scars from both of my laparoscopies.

I have included a 33 week belly shot... (I also included one from when I was 16 weeks for comparison) ...and look at that road map of veins I have going on. Isn't it incredible that your blood volume increases so much.

I will be gone again for the next few days and checking back in on all of you next weekend.



33 weeks pregnant w/ twins




Belly shot from when I was 16 weeks pregnant w/ twins...for comparison

32 weeks 3 days

Still here. Still pregnant. Still going to a zillion appts w/ the doctor and at the hospital to make sure I stay that way. This last week went better. I actually passed three NST tests in a row. That has never happened before. I had another FFN and it came back negative which means I should be safe from pre-term labor for two more weeks. We had a growth ultrasound when I was exactly 32 weeks and the boys are doing really well. I was absolutely amazed to hear that Andrew (baby A) is estimated to weigh 4 pounds 14 ounces already (basically 5 pounds!). He's just huge.... Matthew (baby B) is estimated to weigh 4 pounds 4 ounces which is also very good. Most babies at his stage are just hitting the 4 pound mark so my little guys are just big and hopefully strong. I can't believe I already have 9 pounds of baby in me and most babies put on half a pound a week from this point on. So its looks like we won't need any preemie clothes or preemie diapers if all continues to go well for a few more weeks. Dr H is going out of town in the first week of October so I was concerned that he might not be here to deliver the babies but he said I'd be having them before he leaves. That means that I only have 3 or 4 more weeks left.

We're still staying at J's Grandparents place during the week so I can be close to the hospital and the doctor for all of my appts. We come home for the weekends. Last weekend we came home to a fridge that died which was so much fun. All of our food was ruined and it was a mess to clean up. J had to handle it all b/c I just can't do much at all at this point. Nor am I supposed to so I'm trying to stick to bed rest as ordered. This weekend I had him steam clean our carpets so hopefully the house is now in good condition for the babies to come home. The nursery is pretty much ready thanks to my Mom and I have my hospital bag packed.

I feel okay at this point. I still stop daily to appreciate how wonderful it is to be pregnant but to be honest this hasn't been a fun 8 months. I'm so exhausted all of the time and the babies aren't even here yet. I get a lot of rest since I'm laying down all of the time but I don't seem to get much actual sleep. Matthew (Baby B) is up in my ribs all the time and it can be really painful. Sometimes it feels like my muscle and or skin is being ripped from my rib cage. I also have non stop heartburn and indigestion. I cannot lay down flat after eating or drinking or it will all come right back up. It feels like my stomach is in my throat. It's pretty nasty to feel/taste all of your food coming back up. One night I actually woke up w/ throw up in my mouth and the gag reflex so a bunch of it went down my windpipe. Yuck! I'm doing better in the weight dept. I am eating much better that last month. I'm up about 27 pounds and somehow I've managed to escape stretch marks so far. I keep expecting them to pop up any day so we'll see. I'm just thrilled that I've managed to make it this far without any. Maybe the obscene amount of money I've spent on belly butters and stretch mark oil has made a difference. I've used the stuff daily since I was 8 weeks along. My little product endorsement would be for the Mama Mio and Bella Mama brands. I've tried about 5 brands and those two are the best by far. They absorb well and smell good. Google them if your interested. A little expensive especially since one belly butter only lasts me about 3-4 weeks. I put it on pretty thick. J and I have a nice little routine where he gives me my Lovenox injection at night and then massages the cream all over my belly and breasts. It adds a little intimacy and feels good.

Thank you for the many positive comments and well wishes. I will post again next weekend. Congrats to the many BFP's that are going around in blog world! And a big huge and congrats to Jaimie @ Life as we know it. She had her baby Jake but he's in the NICU. Hopefully he'll be home with you soon.