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

What Not to Say to a Pregnant Person

I went out to dinner the other night with a friend who has twins and two other mothers of twins she met through San Antonio Area Mothers of Multiples. As an aside, I fully intend on joining this group, especially because of the semi-annual yard sale they host; I can't think of a better way to save some money.

We went to a swanky restaurant called Silo. Being at the stage I am, I had very little to wear, and I was under dressed, but it didn't matter much once we took the elevator to the dining floor (yes, they had a private elevator; I thought "elevated dining" was just figurative speech).

Upon sitting down the ladies found the wine menu and ultimately decided on one of the waiter's suggestions. He came back with it, displayed the bottle, displayed the cork (explain this one to me, please?), then began pouring wine for each of us. When he got to me, I declined, so he offered a cocktail from the bar, unless, in his words, I was "holding the keys tonight." I responded with an, "I'm actually holding the babies tonight," and patted my growing belly, which I admit is hard to see when I'm sitting down. It took him a minute to process the plural aspect of my statement, but he congratulated me and left us.

I thought that was the end.

The menu had three options for me: duck, pork shank and chicken. Apparently because I'm pregnant I had to order first, so I asked for the pork shank, to which the waiter replied, "You really ARE eating for three!" Really, dude? At that moment I secretly wished the pork came with a prison grade shank so I could teach him repercussions of bad manners. Alas, it came out without a carved down spork, so I had to settle for the rather delicious meal instead. Until he came back to check on me. Not the entire table, just me. He put his hand on my shoulder, looked me directly in the eye, and said, "I just want to make sure that's enough food for you." You would be more appalled by this if you saw the plate. I am a voracious eater these days, but I only finished half the dish. It was huge. Like, Texas sized huge. As my shank dreams returned, he quickly left. The only consolation was the knowing looks of sympathy from the other twin mothers.

I know these comments will get worse and more common, but that was really my first experience with an ignorant stranger trying to be casual with me about my pregnancy. I've heard horror stories from some of you reading this blog ("If you keep eating pizza your baby is going to come out as a pizza!"), so I know this isn't uncommon. I think I will make it my mission to educate all people, especially men, about appropriate and inappropriate comments to pregnant women. Maybe this is a book in the making. I guess I should start writing down each time someone offends me and see where it goes.

Good day!

Sick and Tired

Although I haven't had to deal with the snowy weather or freezing temperatures, my body decided to create a little natural disaster of its own these past few days. I'm no longer running a fever, but had to resort to using Tylenol yesterday, since my temperature was running close to 101 degrees. At this point, the floodwaters (or floodmucus) have made their way to my nose and are running full force. At least I don't have a fever, which was my main concern. I hope to be better by Monday at the latest so I can go see my students without interruption.

My next appointment is February 9th, but we aren't going to be doing a sonogram unless there is a need.

It's Official

I have officially popped. My hip bones are disappearing! Though you can't see it with my clothes on, I have a little bump in my lower abdomen area. And, if I'm diagnosing this correctly, my fundus (the top of my uterus) is about an inch above my belly button. This is particularly alarming, as the baby books say by the end of the fourth month (around week 17), it should be right around your belly button, maybe even a bit below it. I'm halfway through my fourteenth week now. Let the bulging begin!

Hi, there! We're already each the size of your closed fist. These pictures are SO 12 weeks!

Fear and Bloating in San Antonio

The scary thing about pregnancy is, well, everything. Each little gurgle in your stomach (even though it's probably gas) makes you jump, each cramp is terrifying, and each meal you eat has to be screened for nutrients. It's the hardest thing I've done so far, and I'm only eleven weeks into it. I'm not sure the fear of something going wrong will ever subside, but I do hope each ultrasound brings good news that I can fall back on when I'm feeling anxious.

My next appointment is January 11th, and it's a big one, since this is where I will have the ultrascreen done. This will test for spinal abnormalities as well as the likelihood of having a child with Down Syndrome. Jeff will not be able to make it, since the appointment is at the same time as his first day of class this semester. I'm really excited to see him look at the screen for the first time, though, and it seems that may happen when we find out the sexes, in about a month.

I'm starting to bulge a bit, but it's not as bad in the mornings, so I know a lot of my size has to do with bloating. Once I definitely am showing, we'll take some pictures and post them. I'll feel safe telling the "world" about the news in about a month, once we're clearly out of the first trimester and things look good.