Full-term Babies

So, the girls have made it to full-term. Hallelujah! I can't believe that I am going to be a mom in the next week or so. It's so surreal. As you can tell from this blog, I have thoroughly enjoyed my pregnancy and think a part of me will miss those little buggers in my belly. It's nice to have them so close.

But... I can't wait to meet them. I can't wait to hold them and kiss them and sniff their little heads. I can't wait to dress them up in girly outfits and put flowery headbands on them. I can't wait to see my husband melt with them in his arms. I can't wait to watch him inspect and admire every little inch on their bodies like he does when he gets a new pair of shoes he really likes.

I know we have a challenging road in front of us, but I'm not scared. I am excited! Any day now...

And here are the 37 week belly pictures.

And Damon's favorite angle:

The great question

So, everyone keeps asking me when the babies are going to arrive. I wish I had an answer, but one thing I have DEFINITELY learned during this pregnancy is that you can't plan for anything. Okay, well, you can plan, but you better have a plan B, C, D, E, F and G.

So, I am going to turn the question back on you - when do YOU think the babies will come? We're placing bets now... Here is some information to level the playing field:

- My official 40 week due date is December 10.
- Most twins come early and most doctors want twins delivered by 38 weeks (November 26). My doctor suggested inducing if they don't come by Thanksgiving.
- My last appointment was last Wednesday. I was one day shy of 36 weeks, 80% effaced and 1 cm dilated.
- I am a Leo, my husband is a Pisces and the girls will be Scorpios if delivered before November 21, Sagittarius if delivered on or after... (only relevant to those who are a little kooky, like my mom, sister and me).

Place your bets now! Don't forget to include the day and two times (Baby A and Baby B)...

Body Changes Part 2

I have wanted to be pregnant for as long as I can remember. I have always thought that a pregnant woman is so beautiful - so pure - so just... radiant. Now, at almost 36 weeks pregnant and 50 pounds later, I feel like I have some of the beauty of a pregnant woman, but I am more aware of the incredible changes that have taken place in my body. Here are the big changes:

1. My feet. As you can see from the picture in the previous blog, I am experiencing "slight" swelling in my feet and ankles... My feet are like little loaves of bread - the only thing I can shove them in are my flip flops which barely fit. Seriously - when did flip flops become uncomfortable!? The good news is that they are not like that all the time and the swelling does go down when I rest and put them up.

2. My thighs. My left and right thigh recently met each other and apparently hit it off really well. They are now best friends and inseparable.

3. My stomach (obviously). I feel really lucky that I haven't gotten any stretch marks yet (cross my fingers, knock on wood, spin twice and kiss the head of a penny). But then I have friends who like to ruin it by telling me that I'll see them once my stomach goes back to "normal". But it is amazing how much your belly can swell and your skin can stretch. Absolutely amazing.

4. My skin. With all of the stretching and swelling, it's no wonder that I have extremely dry, sensitive skin. But what I think is funny is all of the little skin tags that have popped up in random places on my body.

5. My belly button. I don't even know what to say about this one... will it ever look the same again!?

6. My behind. Ugh. I don't even like to look back there if I don't have to. It's a mess. I just keep telling myself that I'll worry about it after I have two healthy, beautiful girls. Because once they're here, I'll have all the time in the world to work on it... right?

Body Changes Part 1

My next blog is going to describe in detail the changes that I have seen in my body over the past 35 weeks. I was about to finish it and post it and then thought of the old saying, "a picture tells a thousand words" and decided to post this:

No... this is not a still shot from Shallow Hal, this is a picture of my ankles (or lack thereof, otherwise known as cankles) after an event last week. So sexy!

40 Weeks of Genius

Here I am... up again for my 4 am feeding... whoever planned this whole 40 weeks of being pregnant must have known what they were doing, because I don't think it could be any more perfect...

First trimester - you are completely wiped out. This allows you to slow down from "normal life". Your body rejects anything that may be unhealthy and craves nutrients for your baby/ies. You change your schedule to allow for more naps and rest up because it's going to be a long 40 weeks - but everything is new and exciting so you are ready!

Second trimester - you feel awesome. Life is great. You have just enough "bump" to look pregnant (and not like you've been enjoying too many fudgesicles), but not too much bump so that it prevents you from tying your shoe. You feel your baby/ies kicking, dancing and love each movement. Your energy levels are back to normal and you love being pregnant. You have a healthy glow and everyone comments on how good pregnancy looks on you. This is the time you remember next time you talk about getting pregnant.

Third trimester - you are uncomfortable. You pee every half hour, but always feel like its time to go again. Your hands and feet are swollen and ache. You sleep in increments (probably to prepare you for life with baby/ies) and never truly fall into a deep sleep so you live in a fog during the day (on top of pregnancy brain). You still feel your baby/ies, but feel them clawing at your bladder, kicking you in gut and trying to bury themselves under your ribs. People no longer tell you how good you look pregnant but make comments on "how big you've gotten" and how "it looks like you are about to pop".

Now, I have really enjoyed these past 34 weeks and have loved being pregnant, but I think it is necessary for me to feel a little uncomfortableness now... One, as I said before, I think it is preparing me for life with babies and two, if I didn't, I'd probably want to keep these little girls in my belly forever!

Too Little, Too Late Update

Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay in posts, but I just got back from visiting my friends/family in NOVA, where they threw me a wonderful baby shower! (I'll post a blog/pics soon) I had to cut the trip short because I was having trouble sleeping and was really exhausted, but I loved all of the time I was able to spend with everyone!

Quick update: Babies turned 30 weeks last Thursday and according to our last ultrasound (this past Monday), they are developing on track and weigh 3 pounds each!!! I can't believe I have 6 pounds of baby in my belly! Except, they remind me of that on an hourly basis :)


Here's an updated pic of the big bulge... now we're looking pregnant!

Stating the Obvious

One thing I've learned during my pregnancy is that I'm not a fan of modern doctors. It seems like whenever I tell them about something that's bothering me, they write me a prescription. I think it's so funny to hear "When diet and exercise fail, take (insert pill here)". Well, it's not diet and exercise that fail... it's people who fail at diet and exercise. Constipation? Here - take this stool softener. Leg Cramps? Tylenol is fine to take. Delivery pains? Here's your epidural.

Now before I continue on this blog I want to make one small disclaimer. I do not judge anyone for the decisions that they make during pregnancy/labor/delivery. Everyone is entitled to their own experience, whatever that may be. And, I know that you can't even attempt to plan any little bit of your pregnancy/labor/delivery and that all my "birth preferences" may fly out of the window as soon as I start labor.

With that being said, I would like my experience to be as natural and drug-free as possible. Its a personal choice and one that I feel strongly about. Before I knew I was carrying twins, Damon and I had already chosen a birth center to deliver. I have always liked the idea of a water birth and while he had issues with possible floating poop in the tub, he did really enjoy the environment and agreed this was the place to bring our child into the world.

Then... things changed for us when we saw two little ones on that first ultrasound. Twin pregnancy automatically put me into the high-risk category and meant I had to (legally and for insurance purposes) deliver at a hospital. I had been going to the same OBGYN for years and while I liked her enough to violate me once a year, I wasn't sure how comfortable I was with her delivering my babies. So, I reached out to my local friends to get recommendations for good OBs.

We decided to meet each one for an "interview" of sorts and then see which one we connected best with. Funny thing? Doctors are NOT used to being "interviewed". Some seemed almost offended that I wouldn't just automatically choose their practice. Some were cut from my list just because of their rude staff. I don't consider myself a "high-maintenance" person, but I wasn't willing to deal with an unhappy employee throughout the rest of my pregnancy, especially with my out of whack hormones.

But my favorite interview was with one particular doctor. The interview started off well enough, she seemed friendly enough and we seemed to connect with her. Then we began asking questions regarding her thoughts of twin birth. I told her that it was important for me to try to have the twins naturally and she stared at me with a blank expression. "I understand the risks (blah blah blah) and that there is a 50/50 chance that the twins will be delivered by C-section, depending on what happens throughout my pregnancy, but I would like to prepare for a natural birth..." I continued.

She looked at me like I had three heads and said slowly, "Childbirth is really painful."

Seriously? Wow. I was really glad she told me that. I can't believe I hadn't heard that before - I mean, what did I almost get myself into?

I was floored. That's like telling someone who is training for a marathon that running really sucks - only that person doing the telling is the physical trainer.

Needless to say, we didn't end up with her. After a couple more visits with my original OBGYN, we realized that she was the one to deliver our babies. She's blunt enough to tell me that "Yeah (and she'd probably even throw a "sh*t yeah" in there), childbirth is painful." but she'd follow it up with a "but women have been doing it drug free for centuries and you can too."