16 Weeks

This week was much better than last week – thank you Jesus!  For one thing, I was able to go back to work!  I still wasn't cleared to drive, so Henry was my personal chauffeur all week. :)  I had my follow-up appointment with the ENT doctor on Friday though and he said all traces of the viral infection are gone (or going away) and he cleared me to drive again.  I kind of liked being driven everywhere, so I may fake a few "lingering symptoms" now and then - just don't tell Henry. ;)

My Grandma Connie was in town visiting this weekend.  I love living in North Texas now because that means I get to see more of this amazing woman!  

Seriously, y’all have no idea how much I love having her so close.

And now, our weekly update (as told by the twins)…

Sleep: We've let mom sleep pretty good week – but every morning, around 4:00am, we remind her who’s in charge by waking her up and sending her to the bathroom.  We don’t want you to forget about us mom! 

Cravings: Peanut butter and ranch dressing!  Not together, of course – that’s gross.  But we've managed to polish off an entire jar of peanut butter in one week, and half a bottle of ranch dressing – our favorite is cucumber slices dipped in ranch, mmm.  We've also been drinking a lot of ice water (which means mom has been making a lot of trips to the bathroom!).

Symptoms: We were promised lots of growing in the coming weeks, and that’s exactly what these babies are doing!  The “growing pains” (round ligament pains) have continued, mostly in my lower abdomen (sporadic sharp pains) and sides (stretching pains).  My back is also feeling the effects of my growing belly – I get restless while sitting for too long at work and have to take more breaks just to get up and walk around.  And I now have to sleep with a pillow tucked under my belly because just letting it hang is uncomfortable (ha!).  I wouldn't trade these little pains/discomforts for the world though.  Each one is a sweet reminder of the little miracles growing inside of me and makes me more and more anxious to meet them.  I know we've still got a ways to go, but I can’t help but wonder what they’re going to look like and what types of personalities they’re going to have.

How we’re growing: This week, we've started to grow toenails on our tiny little toes!  And our hearts are now pumping about 25 quarts of blood every day.  From head to bottom, we’re about 4.5” long and weigh 3.5 ounces, each!  In the next few weeks, we’ll be growing a lot – get ready mom!

Best moment of the week: Getting my appetite back!  I didn't eat much last week because of the infection I had, and as a result, I lost weight. :(  I more than made up for the lack of eating from last week though by stuffing my face every day this week, and it was magical.  Actually, I probably went a little overboard a few nights – I ate so much I could hardly breathe!  I relearned how to regulate my intake though so I’m back to a normal pregnant-with-twins level of food consumption. :)

Another highlight of our week was going to mass at the Cathedral in downtown Dallas again.  We felt especially blessed because we got to celebrate it with both sides of our families that live here in Dallas and my Grandma Connie.  We absolutely love having family in town and are so thankful for the support we continuously receive from all of them.  We know our sweet babies can truly feel just how loved they are.

What Mom & Dad are looking forward to this coming week: Getting back to our daily walks!  I know, I know, we've been looking forward to this for the last three weeks.  But with Henry’s school, and then me getting sick, and then me slowly getting better, it just hasn't happened.  Our poor dogs are going crazy being cooped up in the apartment all the time.  We will get back to walking this coming week though – no more excuses!  Also, Henry’s parents are coming into town later this week, so we’re looking forward to seeing them too!

Annie and Lilly wanted to have their pictures taken too...

Lilly liked the sign I made this week.

Annie is more of a close-up kind of gal.