29 Weeks

Please excuse the mess that is my hair.

We’re almost in the home stretch, guys!  The goal all along has been to safely get me and the girls to 36 weeks, and I feel like we’re so close to reaching that goal!  I know that’s still seven weeks away, and a lot can happen in seven weeks.  But the girls have hit every milestone in this pregnancy like champs that I’m positive that together we’ll make it to this next one.

Confession: Sometimes I feel like maybe my body can’t make it the whole way, and this scares me.  I’m carrying the majority of my 32lb. weight gain in my belly (which I’m happy it hasn’t spread anywhere else ;)), which puts so much pressure on my back.  And sometimes I feel like my legs and feet are telling me “We can’t handle any more weight! We’re giving it all we’ve got lady!”  My feet look horrific at the end of the day – even flip flops and sandals are too tight on me now.  Heck, even my slippers fit me tight!  (I may or may not have even had a minor meltdown in the Crocs store last Thursday.  Henry took me to buy some shoes that he thought would be comfortable (read: big) enough to get me through the end of the pregnancy.  But to our surprise – and my embarrassment – not even the original style crocs were big/wide enough for my feet!  I even went up two sizes for the added width, and no dice.  I suppose if I had continued upping the size, something would have eventually fit width-wise, but then they would have been crazy long.  I told Henry I was so embarrassed that not even crocs fit my big, swollen feet. :/)  Standing up and sitting down are difficult tasks, and walking for more than 10-15 minutes leaves me winded (I used to run 8-10 miles a week for crying out loud!) and brings on Braxton Hicks contractions.  I often have to remind myself that (1) I’m not the only person in the history of ever to carry twins – lots of people have done it before me and lots of people will do it after me; (2) all the aches, pains, swelling, etc. are only temporary.  At the end of this crazy, exciting, and sometimes difficult journey, I will get to meet two of the most beautiful, most precious beings I will ever meet – my daughters.  Knowing that is what gets me through my fears of “what if I can’t do this” and my feelings of defeat and embarrassment when my body just doesn't want to move any further.  And having two healthy and thriving babies will be worth every single thing I've felt.  Sometimes I forget that God won’t ever give us something He doesn't think we can't handle.  So hand in hand, and together with the strength given to us from God, Henry and I will tackle the next eight weeks (EIGHT WEEKS!!!) together, no matter how difficult they may seem and/or be.

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

Sleep: I've been sleeping pretty good this past week.  I've been trying really hard to get to bed somewhat early because I’m finding that I need more and more sleep/rest just to function.  I’m still waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and lately it’s been taking me a while to fall back to sleep after these middle-of-the-night bathroom breaks.  It’s mostly because the girls start to move a lot as soon as I lay back down.  This is always a perplexing time for me – On one hand, I just really want to be able to fall back to sleep ASAP; but on the other hand, I love feeling them kick and squirm.  I told Henry they’re moments I really try to cherish – in those moments, the apartment is quiet, and dark, and everybody else (Henry and the dogs) is sound asleep, and it’s just me and both babies wide awake, with no other distractions.  I usually just lay there with my eyes closed and try not to giggle too loud as I feel them move.  In my head, I envision them playing together.  What’s actually happening is they’re probably kicking and shoving each other to try to get comfortable again because I usually lay on my opposite side from before I woke up.  Whatever it is they’re doing in there, I just lay still, close my eyes, put my hands on my belly, and laugh myself to sleep. :)

Cravings: I’m not sure that I've had any cravings for anything specific this week, other than maybe just fruit.  Henry went and bought me some yummy (Honeycrisp!) apples and grapes and I've been snacking on those all week.  I've also stuck to trying to drink lots of water to help with the swelling.

Oh wait, does being completely over the heat and wanting it to be fall weather already count as a craving?  I've been obsessively checking the weather app on my phone every day (sometimes twice a day) trying to track down when we’ll be done with summer weather.  The calendar says it’s fall, and all the commercials on TV say it’s fall, (and the Starbucks drive-thru menu says it’s fall :D), but the sun and 90° weather say it’s still summer.  And quite frankly, I’m over summer.  I lived in summer for 5 years (in Phoenix) – I’m ready for a real fall!

Symptoms: More soreness and tightness in my belly, more swelling of my feet and ankles, and more back aches, all of which I think are pretty normal for any pregnancy.  A new one I hadn't felt yet though has been swelling of my hands and sore, achy joints in my hands.  This just started this week and it only happens at night.  They also fall asleep sometimes, even though I’m not laying on them.  I got a little concerned about it early in the week – especially the sudden swelling with respect to the increased risk of preeclampsia that comes with twin pregnancies.  I went back and forth for a day or two on whether or not to call my doctor but decided I’d be ok waiting until my appointment next week.  My blood pressure has always been great throughout this whole pregnancy (even when I had to go to L&D a few weeks ago) and the pain and swelling always subsides during the day – it’s only at night that it flares up again.  I also don’t feel bad nor do I have any other signs/symptoms of preeclampsia.  So I think I’m ok to wait until my scheduled appointments this coming week to bring it up to my doctors.

How we’re growing: We’re growing big and strong and like to move (and make mommy’s belly look really weird!), a lot!  We’re each about 15” long and weigh about 2.5 pounds!  Our lungs are continuing to mature along with our muscles – which is why mom can feel us both move so much more now than before.  Our heads are also growing a little bit bigger to make room for our big brains!  Mom says we’re going to be smart like our daddy.

Best moment of the week: Last weekend, we went to the North Dallas Moms of Twins Club’s Semi-Annual Twice as Nice Consignment Sale at the Richardson Civic Center.  I’m a registered Stork Mom (pregnant with twins) with the Club, so Henry and I were able to get into the sale an hour before it opened up to the public.  We weren't quite sure what to expect, so we just kind of went to see what they had.  And then we walked out like $200 later. =O  Oops!

We bought some gently used clothes, a lot of which actually looked pretty much brand new still, and shoes for when they get a bit older.  Henry also scored an awesome double jogging stroller – this one to be exact, in red.  It retails for $529.99.  Henry found it at the consignment sale for a whopping $58!(!!)  It’s a little dirty – you can tell it sat in somebody’s garage for a while.  But it’s nothing a quick wash (or hose down) can’t fix.

We also scored some sweet long-sleeve shirts and sweaters for this cute little guy.

Baby Paul!

After the consignment sale, and a quick breakfast at McDonalds, we hit up the Kid-to-Kid in Rockwall.  We’d heard about this super awesome place from our Comadre Lilly – it’s another consignment shop for all things kids.  Again, we weren’t quite sure what to expect, and again, we walked out of there a couple hundred dollars later – oops! (again!).

We picked up even more clothes – mostly long-sleeve onesies and little pants/sweater sets.  The biggest score of all at Kid-to-Kid had to be the really big, really nice changing table we found for $60!  And cloth diaper covers!  Some of them brand new and priced at $5!!  (Covers sometimes cost up to ~$15-$17 depending on the brand.  And those were the brands we found!)

Overall, it was a baby shopping kind of weekend and we brought home a lot of stuff! :D

What Mom & Dad are looking forward to this coming week: Our doctor appointments!  I know, most people dread going to see their doctor, but when your visits include seeing your sweet babies via sonogram, it’s pretty exciting.  We’re scheduled to see Dr. Weiss (MFM) on Tuesday where he’ll do another growth scan to make sure babies are growing on schedule.  He’s also going to check my cervix for any shortening (ok, so this isn’t a part of the appointment that I look forward to, but it’s usually fairly quick).  Visits with Dr. Weiss also tell us what position the girls are in, which for some reason, is also exciting to know.  We’re also scheduled to see Dr. Wendy Parnell – another doctor in my OB’s practice who also happens to be my main OB’s daughter.  This will be my second visit in rotation – last time I saw Dr. Carlos.  After Dr. Wendy, I’ll have one more doctor to see as part of the rotation before making my way back to Dr. Winfred Parnell (my original OB).  At my appointment with Dr. Wendy though, I plan on mentioning the sudden pain and swelling I’ve had in my hands this past week.  I’m hoping she tells me it’s just another symptom of pregnancy and the crazy water retention that occurs in the third trimester.

P.S. Just in case you’re wondering what my solution was to my shoes dilemma… Leaving the Crocs store I remembered I have a pair of Birkenstock clogs that I've had for a while and that are nice and broken in (i.e. not tight).  I figured I’d try wearing those.  The next morning, I took them out of the closet and tried to put them on my feet – they were still a bit small/tight!  Grrr!  And then I realized they have an adjustable strap along the top.  Score!  I adjusted both shoes to make them a little bigger, and viola!  They fit!  I have real (and comfortable) shoes to wear again!! :D