36ish Week Update

We had a nice day down here. Mom and I got massages (thanks, Stef, for the gift certificate!), then we wasted some time by going to Michael's and grabbing lunch. Then, Mom and I went to my appointment for the week, which was ideal because Jeff was busy getting his pertussis vaccine and was unable to come. Much to both of our surprises, there are no changes to my status. I'm still the same amount effaced and dilated, so no progress on my end. The only thing the doctor said was that she could feel the bag of waters, which probably means my mucus plug entirely passed. Pleasant thought, right?

I have been more and more uncomfortable--and miserable--these past few days. Each morning, my belly seems to drop an inch or two; along with that comes the discomfort and pressure of two baby heads pressing on my pelvis. I'm also getting very little consistent sleep, but I suppose that's good preparation for what's to come. This is, hands down, the hardest thing I have done in my life.

I'll keep you all posted on any progress. I have another appointment next week unless we have an earlier one at the hospital.

Take care. Love you all.

Oh Boys!

Jeff and I went to see the doctor today; since we're now on the weekly visit schedule, I kind of feel like I live up there. I'm now 34.5 weeks, so things are definitely becoming more real. Regardless, we weren't prepared to hear that I am 80% effaced and starting to dilate (probably just about 1 cm). Even though we knew this was coming, it's hard to hear it in person, so we were both a bit shocked.

In retrospect, it makes sense that I'm progressing, especially since my body has been telling me to slow down in recent weeks, and particularly these past few days. I don't need to go on bed rest, but I was advised to take it easy, so I guess it will be more lounging around for me. I've gone through four books in the past month, and I only have one more on the plate, so any advice on this end would be appreciated.

Our hopes are to make it to 37 weeks, which would be the week of July 4th (ugh). We have a sonogram next week and will be able to see how the babes are positioned, though last appointment we got promising news in that Baby B is trying to rotate downward. It's funny how they know things are coming to a close, huh?

We'll keep you all updated, if not through this blog, through phone calls/emails. For laughs, here's a picture from our trailer trash themed photo shoot.

31 Week Sonogram Pics

Jeff and I had an appointment this week and got to see the babes for the penultimate time before seeing them in person. Baby A was very cooperative and willing to get his picture taken, while Baby B decided, as soon as the sonographer turned her attention to him, to roll onto his stomach and face my spine. I guess they're both establishing their personalities in the womb already. Baby B is still breech, so we tentatively scheduled a C-Section for July 5th. We still need to think a lot about this, as this isn't what we want, but the fact that one baby is breech complicates our decision. Until then, I will be trying out some of these maneuvers (and laughing at others on the list):

Getting a breech baby to turn

Here are the most updated pictures for you all. I will post a belly shot soon, I promise. We just have to buy a wide angle lens first.

Baby A (on my right side):


Baby B (on my left side):

Debbie Downer

We're so lucky to have great friends in our lives. This weekend, Matt came down from Conroe to visit with us. He came down on Friday, had some work meetings with Jeff, and then he and Jeff came by my office for the informal baby shower some of my coworkers threw for me. It was a nice, laid back event, which is exactly what I prefer. Friday night, we went over to Rob and Marie's house (the ones with twin boys), and watched the hockey game; Rob is from Vancouver, so it was neat to see the game with a true fan, even though the Canucks lost. We stayed there until about midnight, having a good time watching our pups play together and cause as much trouble as possible. Mac even got to interact with their cat, who promptly swiped him on his nose (no front claws, no worries). He spent the rest of the night whining, wondering why he couldn't play with Franklin.

That was pretty much the end of my weekend.

I spent the rest of this weekend being lame, doing nothing, and feeling crappy about it. Luckily, Matt and Jeff are very understanding and kept themselves busy and Tara was available to chat for a while, but I felt like such a downer for not having the energy to do things like I used to. I'm just looking forward to the end of this process, though I can't really yet acknowledge that this stage is coming to a close. Maybe when school lets out I will be more able to see the light at the end of this tunnel. Let's hope...

It's hard to be so needy and helpless feeling. It's definitely not in our blood to be this way, and it's certainly a lesson in humility. I hope I don't forget this feeling, though, since I would like for it to motivate me to not take things for granted when I am able-bodied.

So, appropriately, my goal this week is to be more positive. I have an appointment and sonogram this Thursday and we'll get an update on the babies' birth presentations. Maybe that will bring us promising news.

I'll leave you with an interesting fact I read in one of my pregnancy books. It said that women who have fraternal twins are four times more likely to have multiples in their following pregnancies. Should we take a poll on whether I should get my tubes tied? Or, should we pray these babies are identical?

Have a great week.

Love,

Debbie Downer

No Creative Title

As I approach 30 weeks, I'm now realizing how hard this whole pregnancy thing is. All last weekend, if I stayed on my feet for more than two hours at a time, I would bloat up into this marshmallow looking creature. Definitely not cute. I can feel myself losing grip of my identity separate from the babes, but I'm not sure anything can be done about that. Little monsters have taken over my body, and it's not going to feel like it's mine again for quite a while.

My next appointment isn't until May 26th, since the sonographers were both on vacation the week prior to that and I have to be difficult with my two-baby time slot. After that, there's only one more sonogram until I get to meet the kiddos. I have about 4 1/2 weeks left of work, and I'm just trying to chug through it at this point. I do have a meeting this afternoon about maternity leave, so we'll see what comes of that. I'm hoping they allow me to take it at the start of the school year, since I don't plan on giving birth until July.

Speaking of July, my doctor told me that July 7th is our tentative induction date, since I'll be 38 weeks then, and she doesn't think I'll be able to go much longer than that. That doesn't mean I won't go earlier, but let's hope I make it that far for everyone's benefit.

Things I'm nervous about: The birth (duh!), the physical and mental health of our children, keeping up with all the changes, finding clothes to fit me through the pregnancy (this is already becoming a problem).

Things I'm looking forward to: trying out these cloth diapers (not on me), running, Mom coming to stay with us, seeing Jeff hold his children.

(Almost) 27 Weeks Pictures

I went for an ultrasound today and got to see the babes, though they are getting harder and harder to capture on camera because of their sizes. They weigh around 2 lbs, 5 ounces each, so they're definitely a good size for their gestational age. They are in a vertex/breech position right now, with Baby A (vertex) on my right side and Baby B (breech) on my left. There is still time for B to turn, but this definitely puts thoughts of a C-Section in my mind. So much for birth plans, right?

Here are the newest shots of the munchkins:

Baby A


Baby B

Love you all! And, a big thanks to Dad for the dried apples. They're almost all gone (I just downed a bag of Granny Smith/Pink Lady mix).

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.