Yesterday, All My Troubles...

...were right in my face (sorry to the Beatles for changing their lyrics). Yesterday was a tough day for me, though.

It started with a near fainting episode while I was teaching. I had to leave the student's home early because I thought I was going to pass out. I even had to stop instruction and put my head between my knees, since I was already seeing dark spots. Ugh!

Then, I went to Whole Foods for lunch and this woman strolls up to me and shouts, "You look like you're about to have that baby any minute now!" I should have said, "Let's hope not, because the chance of survival at this point is pretty slim," but I loudly told her that I'm only six months, but I'm having two. Seeing that it was my lucky day, I ended up in the same checkout aisle as loud woman and her husband (whose belly, by the way, was much larger than mine). The man decided to pry even more with a, "So...you're only six months, huh?" Then I told him, for the second time, that I was having twins and it finally sunk in. The only redemption from this moment was the cashier, who probably saw that I was about to crack and quickly offered me a high five and a friendly smile. God love the Whole Foods employees!

Now that I wrote this out, it's not so bad, but the moments themselves were rather unpleasant. At least we got to end the day with a nice birthday meal at The Cove with Jeff and MacGyver. Thanks for reading my complaints.

Another Quick Update

Jeff just got an article he and a few of his colleagues wrote accepted at Criminology, the top journal in his field! Just thought I'd share that morsel of great news with you all. What a great birthday present for him!

Love,
Kerri

One down, two to go

Though I think everyone on here knows, Jeff submitted his dissertation, so he is, in the words of the cheesy bumper sticker he is going to proudly pick up from the editorial office, "Phinally Done!" We're really excited, and it's really nice to see pieces of the old Jeff resurfacing. Yay for return to normalcy (at least for the next three months)!

Graduation is April 29th, and I know you all can't make it, but if you want to watch the ceremony on the live webcast you can do so by clicking on the "Advanced Degrees Ceremony" link here: http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/commencement/. Of course, the webcast won't be available until 4:00 EST on the 29th, but it might be neat to see Dr. Ward officially become Dr. Ward, even if it is from afar.

As far as pregnancy updates go, I am getting larger by the minute. I took a certification test today, and the woman who checked me in thought I was about to go into labor. She seemed worried I was in her testing room until I told her I was only six months. Yesterday I tried to find a dress to wear to graduation, but the ones I tried on made me look 20 months pregnant, so I'm still on the hunt. I've lost a lot of my appetite, so eating enough has become a bit of a struggle, but Jeff is doing a good job of counting my caloric intake to be sure I get enough for the babes.

Here's a picture of our furbaby, who can't wait to see the family again!



And, here is a picture to make you laugh. How ridiculous do I look?



Love you all!

My Not-So-Little Jumping Beans

We had a doctor's appointment this past Friday. They're starting to put me on rotation so I can meet other doctors in the event that mine is unavailable on the day we deliver. This was the first time I had my belly measured; she said I am measuring 26 weeks, about 2 weeks larger than my actual gestation period (I don't think this has anything to do with when I will deliver; it is just a measurement of my size, and I'm naturally larger because I'm carrying two). We didn't get to see much of the babies, but we did see their hearts and the tops of their heads.

According to our books, they're each hovering around 1.25 to 1.5 pounds, and their crown-to-rump length is about 8.5 inches. Eek! They're moving around bunches these days, but only really when I'm resting. It looks like there is popcorn in my belly with the amount of kicks/punches you can see from the outside. Even Mac has felt it.

Week 23ish

Things have been pretty tough this week. Work has been kicking my butt, and the babes have been kicking my back. Add to that a cold that feels like a kick in the head, and that's pretty much where I stand.

I got news this week that the hospital where I deliver requires mothers of twins to have epidurals, which is a bit of a bummer. On top of that, only the husband will be able to be in the delivery/operating room, so things aren't quite turning out as I had hoped. In the long run, it will all be fine, but nobody told me to get ready for all these curveballs, so I'm a bit taken aback by unexpected hiccups.

I'm going to go home tonight and find a comfortable position (read: either on my left side or right side), finish my book, and sleep a bunch (read: when I'm not on a bathroom trip, which is all too common these days as well). This weekend is the Mothers of Multiples Yard Sale, so we may be going there to try to snag some good deals on things we still need. Beyond that, I think this will be a stay-at-home kind of weekend, which is much needed at this point.

I'm done complaining. Hope all is well with you guys.

On Fat Bellies at Five Months

I saw a new student yesterday who is part of an amazing family. Mom gave me some pregnancy books from her library, both the kids are adorable, and the puppy just wants everyone to love her. The student makes these funny jokes and, in his own words, "weird looks" to make you chuckle, but the little sister stole the show with an unexpected comment. As I was walking to the table to start class, she looked at me and said, "Wait! Why do you have a fat belly?"

I couldn't help but laugh. There's an example of someone saying something about my pregnancy that isn't offensive. I needed that yesterday.

Hope you all have a nice week.

Pregnancy Convention

Jeff and I went to IKEA yesterday to pick up some stuff for the house, mostly for the nursery. We thought it would be a good place to go for affordable furniture that suits our needs right now, especially in having to purchase two of many items. Of course, the first thing I had to do when I got there was go to the bathroom. That was where I started to realize I was at a pregnancy convention. I swear there were four pregnant women in the bathroom while I was waiting in line (and the line wasn't even long!). As we were walking around the store, Jeff noted that he could see at least one pregnant woman from anywhere in the store. It was unbelievable.

We made it out alive, though our pocketbooks are begging to differ. We picked up dressers and some storage furniture for the nursery, so all we really need to think about now is cribs. We're probably going to wait to put things together until the family converges upon San Antonio in a few weeks, unless anyone is strongly opposed to furniture assembly.

Love you all.

Kerri