Birthday Thieves

My sister seems to think that I like to steal holidays, specifically birthdays, from people. On her 21st birthday I graduated from college. My husband proposed to me on my brother's 30th birthday. This is why we were certain that the girls would arrive on Thanksgiving - to "steal" (I like to think "add to") another holiday. But no. Apparently they aren't like their mama. These little girls must have more manners than me, so they stayed quiet and allowed everyone to enjoy their Thanksgiving holiday at home.

This Thursday, the girls will be 39 weeks. The ideal time to deliver twins is between 36 and 38 weeks, but we are trying our best to intervene as little as possible. We'd like the girls to come when they are ready. We had an appointment this afternoon to check their status and to talk about inducing. I am almost 100% effaced and almost 4 cm dilated - which is about 1 cm more than last week. My OB was surprised the girls hadn't made their grand entrance yet. Damon and I shared her sentiment. We talked about inducing, the risks/benefits, and decided to give the girls one more week to come on their own. Then we went ahead and scheduled a day to induce if they decide to continue baking - next Tuesday, December 8.

Oh, and that's also my sister's 29th birthday.

Wonderland Room

To keep from going insane, I am trying to stay busy with little things around the house. The Christmas decorations are up, the house is clean, and I've already gotten a head start on my Christmas cards. And, the nursery is almost complete! I haven't really stressed about getting the nursery completely done before the girls get here because from what I've seen from my friends, the babies don't spend a whole lot of time in the nursery the first couple of weeks. Plus - I don't think they really care if the wood on the glider matches the crib wood.

But, I am happy with how their little room is coming together and want to show it off to you. I wanted something girly, but not too "dainty" - more "funky and fun". I found the perfect pattern at a fabric shop that everything else plays off of. The fabric is called "Wonderland" and was inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

So, here's a picture of the nursery as it looks today:

Two cribs - can you believe it!? My mom and I made the bedding for the cribs. I plan on painting something on the wall above the cribs. Perhaps a twin quote and bring in some design of the fabric?


Here is the nursing/reading area. The glider was my first Craigslist purchase - I love it, but am not happy about the wood color. The girls may not mind that it doesn't match, but mama is going to change that one of these days. The shelves will quickly fill up with framed pictures and little girl books. Daddy's already practiced reading them "Pinkalicious".


I found this dresser at the best thrift store in the world, Goodwill (shameless plug) and sanded/painted it and changed the knobs to fit the Wonderland theme. Daddy built the box for the changing pad and even carved a heart in it! How precious.


My mom made these creative, adorable quilts for me, well, for the girls actually... and I love them! They are the perfect blend of girly and funky! And they are extra large so that the girls can use them well into their toddler years!

Waiting

So, I thought that Monday was going to be the day. Then I was certain it was going to happen Tuesday. But no, it's going to be today... I'm just sure of it. C'mon girls... no pressure or anything.

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!