1.30.2009

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Week 18

It's been a big week, probably one of the most info-packed so far!

Last Friday all of our nursery furniture showed up 4 days early, so we spent the weekend putting it together. We also bought some matresses and worked on decorating the room. We didn't paint or anything, but I did hang up a quilt behind one crib and these little cloth pictures behind the other.

This also gave me the change to unpack the ton of baby clothes we've accumulated. The dresser/changing table has 3 drawers of newborn and 0-3mo clothes. hehe The only things left that need to be done in the nursery is hanging a ceiling fan and fixing up the closet. We bought some items from Lowe's but forgot the all-important brackets.

Monday was the Big Reveal at the MFS's office. We have two healthy boys cooking! The whole time the technition was trying to check their vitals, they kept wiggling, kicking, and punching each other. Everything looked really good, including their brain development, spine, arm/leg bones, skull, nose, bladder, stomach, and heart. The technition also checked their circulatory systems, both in their bodies and in the umbilical cords. Their heart rates were both in the 160's, which is good. They weigh 8oz and 9oz, which is slightly more than the 6-7oz a normal single baby would weigh at this point!

She then checked me to verify that I wasn't showing any early signs of preterm labor. Apparently I'm locked up tight with no visible indicators that I'm letting these boys go anytime soon.

One thing we've learned about having twins is there's always some new thing to worry about. We've beat Vanishing Twin and both boys are in their own bubble, eliminating any chance their cords could get tangled. What we didn't realize until Monday is that they're sharing the same placenta (meaning they're probably identical!). We were told early on that they each had their own, but apparently that's not the case.

There's a condition called Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTS) that can affect about 20% of babies that share a placenta. This is when one baby gets more nutrients from the placenta than the other. You can tell it's happening if the fluid around one baby is much more than the other, or when one baby is getting bigger than the other. So every Monday I'll be going into the MFS's office to get the boys measured. So far there haven't been any indicators that this is happening, but constant monitoringing is the only way to catch it early. There are a couple of different treatments that can help if they do get TTS.

My doctor has also reduced my hours at work from 40hrs/wk to 20hrs/wk. Starting last week, I have every Monday and Friday off, plus every other Tuesday. This is because of a couple of things. One is I'm getting pretty tired by the end of the workweek now. Also, the babies are about to kick it into high gear as far as putting on weight goes. Resting and getting enough water is what would help them the most.

We met with the director of the last daycare place we wanted to check out. It's a private business that will have construction completed in August 2009. She showed us all kinds of information and samples so we had a really good idea of what it'll be like. J also quized her on everything from where she was recruiting her staff to their teaching philosophy. In the end, both J and I felt like this was our best option if we go the daycare route so we've reserved two spots. Tuition is about the same as the other places at $2,000/month for both babies.

This week I've been going through a lot of growing pains, mostly on the sides of my belly. The scale this morning busted out in laughter at my almost 19lbs over pre-pregnancy weight. Any doubts I had about catching up to the 20lbs by 20wks goal have disappeared. Now it's more about trying not to turn into a whale. Last night we went to a Mexican restaurant and J told me "When you run out of your own food, you can just start eating mine." Apparently I wolfed mine down pretty fast. hehe

It's also very obvious that I'm pregnant. This was the week where everyone at work went from "Maybe she's letting herself go?" to "Woa, she's pregnant." There have been lots of congratulations and stories about their own kids as babies.

It was a good week.

1.26.2009

1 comments

Week 17.5

We just got back from the MFS's office and I wanted to share a bunch of pictures of the boys! I do want to warn you that they still look like skinny little aliens, though. hehe

Baby A from the side

Baby A's Foot

Baby B showing Baby A up with his two feet


Baby A's Face, Hands, and Umbilical Cord



Baby B Counting How Many Babies Are In There


One Face Up and The Other Face Down

1.23.2009

1 comments

Week 17

I am currently staring down a bottle of water flanked by an apple juicebox and a cup of apple juice. I can't really explain why 2 of the 3 beverages are identical, only that by the end of the work day I need to drink them all. Morning sickness - easy. Needing to sleep about 12hrs a day - a piece of cake. Drinking more than 8oz of fluid in a day - impossibly hard. But my hands started swelling up yesterday, so something needs to be done.

In other news, I had to go shopping for maternity shirts this week. They're surprisingly comfortable and not quite as tent-like as I imagined. Apparently mellon is the "in" color for pregnant women this year. I managed to avoid that and every shirt that had a bow over the belly. Bows just make me laugh. I don't know why.

I'm at 14lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight this week. I think that's pretty good and am pretending the water retention isn't helping me out. The Boost shakes at 300 cal per 8oz have been the key. And blueberry mini muffins. Man, I love those things and I haven't let myself have them in years.

This is the first week in forever that I haven't thrown up once!!! On the downside, I no longer have an excuse for putting off getting my teeth cleaned. Luckily we have a dentist/spa place (really! haha) that I plan on trying out.

All of the weight I've gained has gone pretty much to my belly, although my thighs skimmed some off the top. I've had a lot of stretching pain this week, where it feels like my belly button may shoot off at any second. I only have 3mm to go before said button is completely flat. It's become hard to sit up straight, or lay flat. Bending over has also become a lot more difficult.

We checked out 2 daycare places this week. The first spent about 30min explaining their teaching philosophy and all of the things they do with infants. I just sat there, thinking about how I wasn't planning on doing any of those things. Did I know babies needed a mirror wall? Nope. It was a lecture on how bad of a mommy I was going to be! Luckily I took mental notes, so I will be doing all of those things NOW.

The facilities of the place (rooms, toys, etc.) were nice. The real thing that set them apart were the staff. Everyone seemed really into the kids, interacting and playing on the floor with them. We also liked that they had two different rooms for infants, 6wks to 6mo and 6mo to 1yr.

The second place we visited didn't go as well. For starters, a mom held the door for me, voiding the whole "this is a secure facility" idea. The rooms and toys were really great looking but their staff seemed to be having turnover issues. Their only infant teacher was quitting. They also group 6wks to 1yr together, which I didn't like as much.

The cost is another thing to think about. The first place was going to be about $1,800 per month for the kids. The second was about $1,700 per month. Neither had the option a part-time schedule for infants, either. We have one more place we're going to look at. Our plan right now is to reserve spots at a place and then make the final call during my maternity leave.

We ordered the cribs and changing table/dresser this week. It came down to a $250 crib and a $300 crib, until we realized that the shipping cost for the first was $200 while shipping for the second was free. Who knew that the more expensive crib would be cheaper. hehe Here's the crib and the changing table/dresser. We also got the rails to convert the cribs into full size beds someday. The furniture will arrive next week.

This weekend's baby project is to fix up the nursery closet. I want to add a second shelf and possibly some wire baskets. What doesn't fit in the dresser thing needs to have a home in the closet, except for bedding that I store under the cribs. I also want to install a ceiling fan and valence.

Monday is when we should be able to find out what gender(s) we're having! Both babies are about the size of small baked potatoes at this point.

1.16.2009

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Week 16

Yay to another pretty good week!

Last weekend was fabulous. We met J's mom and husband for lunch. I was able to fully act like a normal human being. I wasn't tired or dryheaving (and pretending it was just a cough), and chomped a lot of food. Afterwards we went to Babies R Us to oogle some cribs. Naturally I really liked the million dollar set (ok, slight exaggeration - $600 crib, $550 dresser). We have no plans to get it what so ever, though.

In fact, the crib I really wanted ($250 at Target) has apparently come in at their warehouse. It's been "Will be available in 2 to 6 weeks, order now!" on their website for a long time. There's also a great dresser/changing table thing for like $200. I just need to convince J that we really should pull the trigger on buying something before I'm sporting a 3-ring tent size. Putting together an entire room full of furniture while I watch won't be fun for anyone.

After saying bye to J's family, I decided I was on a roll. We stopped by a furniture store to check out king size beds. They. Are. Expensive. Maybe we can just put our two queens side by side or something... They had our bedroom set but have changed both the color and the style, so an exact replica is out. We also discovered we know nothing about mattresses. Much research is needed before we step back into a furniture store.

THEN we got some dinner at home and went out to a movie with friends. J's back on his low carb diet, so all he could do was watch as I pretty much did a face plant into the bag of popcorn. He chewed some gum.

We also decided that after 2.5 yrs of living in our house, it might be cool to have towel racks in more than 1 of 3 bathrooms. It's always something with a new house. The last one didn't come with gutters, so I consider this an upgrade. We put a double-bar rack up and have done rigorous testing all week to verify complete towel dryness before installing any others. It worked great, so expect 2 more to show up this weekend.

While I have yet to go completely dryheave-free for an entire day, I do have getting sick down to a once-a-week occurrence, usually involving brushing my teeth. I can handle that, no problem.

Last night we went to our first Mothers of Multiples meeting at the YWCA. J was the only dad there but that didn't phase him. At 6pm was the Babies and Bellies (pregnant to 12 mo. olds), with Breastfeeding as the topic. J and I were the only people that came - the other 4 girls were there to do the presenting. That might seem awkward but it was really great being able to meet some other moms in a one-on-one setting. One of the moms brought her EZ-2 Nurse pillow, hoping someone might want to buy it. Score! A $60+shipping pillow only cost us $30. You can't even get one for that cheap on ebay - I've been watching. We also "won" the drawing for a $10 Kids R us gift card. hehe

At 7pm the rest of the moms showed up for the main meeting. Apparently it's kind of potluck with some moms bringing snack-type dishes and drinks. The guest speaker was there to talk about setting realistic goals for swimsuit season. hehe My goal is to gain about 30lb more. The lady passed out cards for her personal training business. I got J one. He now knows where to go to "Release Your Inner Diva".

All in all, the meeting was quite excellent. Everyone was super friendly and chatty. I was the only pregnant one there, but another mom brought in her boy/girl 4mo old twins. There's also a consignment sale sponsored by the club coming up in a month or two. It's open to the club members one day, then open to the public the next one. When we left the meeting, I laughed at the parking lot full of minivans.

Tonight we have a daycare tour scheduled for 5pm at the Goddard School in Five Forks. While we've been leaning towards me staying at home, I think we both worry that my "please, I must get out of the house!" nature might not be stay-at-home-mom material. We're exploring our options. We have a Kiddie Academy tour next Wednesday. The third place we're looking at is in construction, to be finished in August, 2009.

We've also pretty much decided on a pediatrician. I just need to call and make an appointment to meet them. It's also in Five Forks and we've heard a lot of good things about the practice.

Lastly, I've been working on signing us up for various baby-related classes. So far we've got the 4-day Multiples class at Greenville Hospital scheduled for March. J's also going to do the free Just for Dads class. I've declared with 100% certainty that we're doing the child/infant CPR class, too. That leaves some various baby care and preparing for birth classes that I'm wishy-washy on. It's one thing to be prepared. It's another to spend money and time on things you might already know, have someone teach you for free, or not really apply to your particular babies.

Ok, really lastly... I've gained a total of 11.5 lbs so far this pregnancy. About half of that has been in the last month. I think I'm doing pretty well so far. My belly has been sore a lot this week, so I'm hopeful that means the babies are growing. I'm starting to peek out from under a number of my non-maternity shirts, so that might be my next shopping trip. Not next week, but the week after we'll find out what we're having. A mom from last night (who has 6 girls) wished us luck! hehe

1.09.2009

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Week 15

As bad as last week was, this week has been pretty great. Tuesday we had a regular OB appointment. The doctor was able to find both babies' heartbeats (still 150 & 160). We're lucky that they're side-by-side so the dopler thing can measure both.

I told her about my vitamin adventures. I've tried about 6 different kinds with the same consquences. In the end, I'm just going to take a Flinstones vitamin once a day until the end of the month. At that point my MFS will stick me on an iron supplement. They tested my current iron levels just to be safe and they were fine.

They also gave me a flu shot. It's taken 2 days for my arm to stop hurting but it's still sore. I have declared a "No More Shots" policy, effective immediately.

This week I've "popped" and look like I'm pregnant. J's pretty excited. I think he's been bummed since our G'ville Hospital tour that I wasn't really showing (and those women WERE!). I'm not one of those people that run up to pregnant women and touch their bellies, so I had no idea it would be so firm feeling. I expected it to be squishy, like J's. It's like having very concave abs of steel! hehe

My now apparent belly also means I'm much more uncomfortable. I snagged a full body pillow from BB&B, although it never occurred to me to buy a pillow sheet for it. hehe J's talking about getting a king size bed because I now take up the space of two people. I also require a 65°F-68°F room to sleep in. Otherwise I feel like I'm going to have a heat stroke. J is very sad and lonely clinging to the edge of the bed, grabbing whatever covers he can find. The Wall-E blanket our nephews used when they stayed over last summer? J's been using it when the shivering becomes too much!

Thursday night we had our St. Francis Eastside (SFE) tour. The Labor and Delivery floor is very nice. About half of it is new and the other half has been remodelled. I am going to admit that the mom/baby rooms aren't quite as nice as Anderson's. They are about twice as big as G'ville's, though, and in a better neighborhood. I also really liked that they have twin pregnancies start out in the private labor/delivery rooms, rather than immediately in the OR. It's nice to be given a chance to behave normally.

SFE a Catholic, non-profit hospital but the level of care is high. It's not like you have a bunch of nuns working on you. hehe There are a lot of crucifixes, though, sporting what looks to be a kind of "Buddy Christ" wearing robes and, I think, a smile.

J and I had a pretty lengthy conversation about the care facilities at each hospital. It doesn't matter if the sofa is nice, but that the babies can be well taken care of should anything happen. SFE is a level II NCU, meaning they can cover the most common issues like jaundice, breathing problems, temperature control issues, and general feeder/grower monitoring. This is the same level of care AnMed has, as reference.

G'ville Hosptial is a level III NICU. They can do everything a level II can but are also able to do surgeries and long-term breathing assistance. They also handle the really premature babies (25-32wks).

Our plan at this point is to go to St. Francis unless something serious shows up on an u/s or I go into labor before 32wks. If one of the babies ends up needing level III care, they'll just be transported to G'ville Hospital, about 20 min away. Ideally for twins you want to deliver between 35 and 38wks.

1.02.2009

1 comments

Week 14

I keep reading these articles about how great pregnant people feel once they're out of the first trimester. They are liars. hehe

I'm going to rehash the bad first so I can end on the good. We thought that we had beaten the vitamin situation (again, for the 3rd time). Another twins mom suggested taking 2 Tums with the iron pill. That worked for about 3 days. Sunday I started feeling ill, like with a cold. Then I got a migraine, followed by a complete vitamin+Tums failure.

I woke up Monday with a really bad ear ache and sore throat. I tried getting a shower and ended up getting sick. The nausia I felt was of the "not going away anytime soon" variety. Work wasn't going to happen. Goodbye last day of vacation! J came home at lunch and I was still in bed with wet hair, wearing my bathrobe. He convinced me to move to the couch, fed me, and I slept most of the rest of the afternoon. Monday evening brought another migraine.

Tuesday my ear and throat hurt worse. J and I made a deal that I'd sleep in and call him when I woke up. At that point he'd come home and take me to the doctor's office. We spent 2hrs there, and considering the number of people in the waiting room, that was fast. They gave me an antibiotics shot in my rear and a prescription for 5 days of antibiotic pills.

Wednesday I felt good enough to go to work, although not good enough to accomplish anything of value while I was there. Friends were planning a New Year's Eve party for that night. I told them I didn't think we'd make it but after some negotiations, we ended up going for a couple of hours. I got tired early and was in bed before the ball dropped. hehe

Thursday we were supposed to go to J's dad's house for a belated Christmas dinner. Everything was going ok until I encountered an insurmountable triple threat - full tummy, going to the bathroom, and nasal drip. Any one of those will make me dryheave. All three at once was too much. I dragged my pathetic body to the couch and cried a little. I felt even worse because J was left with sink clean-up, and I accidentally yelled at him. We cancelled our plans for dinner and I held the livingroom furniture down the rest of the day.

So after all that bad stuff... Today I'm back at work and feeling ok. This is the second day in a row with no teeth brushing-related dryheaving!! I've also gained 2 pounds this week!! Woot!

Last weekend J and I put some serious work into getting the nursery ready. He pulled out the tapemeasure and determined our guest bedroom was the largest. I totally cleaned up the craft room anyways. While J was shifting all 3 of our spare rooms around, I handled the task of unpacking the boxes we hadn't touched since we moved. And we went through our closet! And we put away all of the Halloween stuff! Our entire upstairs is baby ready now. We just need to buy some nursery furniture!