5 days to go!

How far along? 35 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: + 11 pounds

Stretch marks? i have one on my right side that's itty-bitty, but i have a feeling that a ton more will pop up after i deliver.
Sleep: better, since i've been taking two Benadryl every night to knock myself out. =)
Best moment this week: actually having a date and time set to meet these two!
Movement: oh. my. god. these two will not be still AT ALL. when they are older, i'm going to wrap them both up in the same blanket and let them wrestle with each other, just so they can know what it was like before they were born.
Food cravings: Mary Lee donuts.
Labor signs: at yesterday's appt. i was 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and jeffry was at -1 station.

Belly Button: i can't see it anymore!

What I miss: taking a bath and having the water actually cover my whole stomach.

What I’m NOT looking forward to: i added the "NOT" in this week. i am terrified of getting an epidural.

Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.
Milestones: i can't believe there's only 5 days left. 5 DAYS!!!!

another update - things change!

yesterday's appointments went pretty good, with a few minor changes. =)

i had my OB appt. first - my cervix hasn't changed at all, so my OB seems to think I'll make it through till the end without actually going into active labor. he went ahead and scheduled me for a section on 10/28, and said he wanted to see me back in one week.

fast forward to my MFM appt. - totally different story! the babies looked great on the ultrasound - both were moving, doing their practice breathing, and the tech even said that sadie has a head full of hair. the blood flow through their umbilical cords were both great. sadie weighed in at 3 lbs, 15 oz, and jeffry weighed in at 3 lbs, 8 oz.

dr. s. came in the ultrasound room after the tech left, and started to do his scans. i knew something was up when he was silent the whole time - he's usually very chit-chatty and explaining as he goes ("here's both heads, spinal cords, heartbeats, etc.), but this time, he kept flipping the screen back to the measurements and calculations.

he said that the babies looked good, they just aren't growing as much as they should at this point. he said i have what's called intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which means that since i'm having twins, and both placentas are having to share my one uterus, they may not be providing the babies with everything they need to grow. they are getting plenty of blood flow and oxygen, but just aren't packing on the pounds like they are supposed to be doing at this point.

dr. s.'s recommendation to my OB is to deliver them a week earlier, which would be the week of 10/21. he said at this point there isn't much concern from a respiratory / breathing standpoint, but they just may grow better outside than inside this late in the game. i am going back to dr. s. next week to check weights and fluid levels again.

so, instead of the three weeks i thought i had left, we're now down to two! we're praying that these two are able to hit the four pound mark before delivery.... sadie should have no problem getting there, since she's only an ounce away, but jeffry has a half a pound to go before he gets there. we're getting all the last-minute stuff in place, and are so ready to meet these two!

bigger by the week! 33 week belly pics

How far along? 33 weeks, 5 days in the pics above

Total weight gain/loss: + 10 pounds
Stretch marks? i have one on my right side that's itty-bitty, but i have a feeling that a ton more will pop up after i deliver.

Sleep: better, since i've been taking two Benadryl every night to knock myself out. =)

Best moment this week: seeing the babies on ultrasound again. the tech said she could see that sadie has a ton of hair - i'm excited to find out if it's dark brown and curly like her daddy's, or red. =)

Movement: it hasn't slowed down any, but it's more limb stretching and rolling rather than kicks and punches.

Food cravings: chocolate milk!

Labor signs: at yesterday's appt. i was still just a fingertip dilated, so no real progress.
Belly Button: i can't see it anymore!
What I miss: taking a bath and having the water actually cover my whole stomach.
What I’m looking forward to: actually meeting these two!
Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.

Milestones: i go next week to fill out my registration paperwork at the hospital and sign consent forms. once i'm there signing off on an epidural and circumcision, it will feel real!

our itty-bitty nursery!

it's 95% complete - hubby just needs to hang the valances.

baby jeffry's side:



baby sadie's side:




bouncy chairs (only took me two hours to put 'em together):



standing in the doorway (dresser to my right):



think we have enough diapers and sleep-n-plays?



the "too big" side:

32 week belly pics

How far along? 32 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: + 9 pounds

Stretch marks? sadly, yes.... i feel like my skin is going to just tear open. i can't see them yet, but i'm 99% sure they are on their way to making an appearance.

Sleep: horrible. i've gotten to where i'm waking on my own before my alarm goes off to take my 4am procardia dose.

Best moment this week: going to the dr. on wednesday and having no changes. yay!

Movement: they do not like me lying on my side. if i lay on my left side, jeffry starts kicking and wiggling because sadie's squishing him. vice versa if i lay on my right side.
Food cravings: apple juice.... which makes me sad, because i can't drink it anymore. makes my heartburn flare like mad.
Labor signs: contractions have lessened significantly since being home and on the procardia - thank god. still had the + fetal fibronectin, which makes me nervous, but we're just taking it one day at a time.

Belly Button: more an outie than an innie now.

What I miss: getting in and out of the tub easily. i think i had my last soak in the tub last night... jeff had to come in and heave me out. it's shower city from now on.

What I’m looking forward to: actually meeting these two!

Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.
Milestones: 4 weeks and 3 days left!

the date is set!

after my appointment today (in which there was no change, just a one pound weight gain - yay!), i asked dr. e. about delivery options.

i came to the conclusion that if i go into active labor on my own (water breaks, dilated, contracting), and if both babies are head down, that i would attempt a vaginal birth. however, if i have had no progress by the cut-off time of 36-37 weeks, then i would opt for a scheduled c-section. i would much rather have a scheduled, coordinated, organized delivery than be induced with pitocin and run the risk of having to have an emergent c-section many hours later.

so, for now, we have a date set of october 27th, which is on a tuesday. i will be 36 weeks and 5 days. dr. e. is confident that i'm going to "go all the way" and not have anything happen early, although anything can change.

eek!!!!! four and a half weeks!!!!

31 week belly pics

How far along? 31 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: + 8 pounds
Stretch marks? sadly, yes.... i feel like my skin is going to just tear open. i can't see them yet, but i'm 99% sure they are on their way to making an appearance.
Sleep: horrible. i've gotten to where i'm waking on my own before my alarm goes off to take my 4am procardia dose.
Best moment this week: getting out of the house and going to church.

Movement: keeping me up at night. it's almost to the point of getting painful when they don't settle down.

Food cravings: strawberry toaster strudel.

Labor signs: contractions have lessened significantly since being home and on the procardia - thank god. still had the + fetal fibronectin, which makes me nervous, but we're just taking it one day at a time.
Belly Button: top half is an outie and bottom half is an innie. eww.
What I miss: getting in and out of the tub easily.
What I’m looking forward to: another dr's appt. on wednesday - hoping there's no change!

Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.

Milestones: 5 and a half weeks left!

30 week belly pics

How far along? 30 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: not really sure... because of all the iv fluids, i gained 8 pounds in the hospital, but my swelling has gone down siginificanly, so i'm assuming the weight gain did too.

Stretch marks? sadly, yes.... i feel like my skin is going to just tear open. i can't see them yet, but i'm 99% sure they are on their way to making an appearance.

Sleep: horrible. can't roll over, can't get up to pee easily, can't lay flat on my back.

Best moment this week: i finished two more baby blankets. since being put on bedrest, that's all i've been doing. at the rate i'm going, i'll have about 20-30 itty bitty blankets to donate to the NICU by the time i go in with these two. =)
Movement: keeping me up at night. it's almost to the point of getting painful when they don't settle down.
Food cravings: rocky road ice cream from baskin robbins.
Labor signs: contractions have lessened significantly since being home and on the procardia - thank god. still had the + fetal fibronectin, which makes me nervous, but we're just taking it one day at a time.

Belly Button: top half is an outie and bottom half is an innie. eww.

What I miss: being able to just pick up and go somewhere whenever i feel like it.

What I’m looking forward to: another dr's appt. on wednesday - my one chance to escape the house.
Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.
Milestones: i can't believe we're down to 6 and a half weeks left.

home on bedrest.

a quick update!

i was sent to the hospital saturday because i was having contractions and not able to hold anything down (again). got hooked up to the monitors - this time, three - and was contracting about every 3-5 minutes. they bolused me with 2 liters of fluids, hoping it would help, then gave me two more doses of Brethine to stop the contractions.

the kicker, though, was the doctor ordered a fetal fibronectin test, which can predict early labor. if the test is negative, it's very reassuring. a positive test indicates that your chances of delivering in the next two weeks goes up by about 20%... and mine came back positive.

because of this, i was sent up to labor and delivery, where i spent the most awful night of my life. i was still hooked up to all 3 monitors, and i literally couldn't move in the bed, because every time i would shift positions, one of the babies would disappear off the monitor and the nurses were coming in to readjust everything. my ob also ordered the 48 hour round of steroid shots to help speed up the babies' lung development, just in case anything were to happen. sunday morning, i was taken off the monitors and sent up to the med/ob floor for observation, with plans to go home monday morning.

monday rolls around, and lo and behold, the contractions return.... 10 to 12 an hour. the specialist came in and told me he was going to start me on procardia, which is a cardiac med that works on all smooth muscles, including your uterus. my ob came in next, and told me that he was going to keep me another night to see how i tolerated the procardia and if it would work.

tuesday morning - contraction free - thank goodness! i had been in bed, hooked up to a continuous iv for almost 72 hours straight. i was discharged home, but on bedrest orders until these babies decide to arrive - which hopefully isn't for another 7 weeks!

i missed this week's belly pic, but will catch up at the end of the week with a 30 week pic. but here's one for you of my grossly swollen cankles from all the iv fluids:

a few new pics

today's appointment with MFM was good - both babies still head down and active as ever! sadie weighs in at 2 lb, 10oz and jeffry weighs 2 lb, 6oz. both were smacking their lips, swallowing, and doing their practice breathing. =)

jeffry:

sadie was facing the back, so we couldn't get any good face shots of her, but jeffry was positioned perfectly. sadie decided to stick her hand in the picture, so that's all we got of her today.

28 week belly pics

How far along? 28 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: + 5.5 pounds
Stretch marks? none yet!
Sleep: better, as long as the central AC is on 69 and the window unit is going full blast at 68.
Best moment this week: my shower - now i just have more to organize and play with! =)

Movement: less kicks and punches and more rolling... they are running out of room.

Food cravings: apple juice

Labor signs: lots of contractions, but nothing progressive.
Belly Button: turning into a gross looking outie. and i'm getting that lovely dark colored ring around it too. =(
What I miss: being able to bend over and pick things up, put socks on, etc.

What I’m looking forward to: MFM appointment on Wednesday - another ultrasound!

Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.

Milestones: on thursday, we'll have 8 weeks left!

these babies are so loved. =)

my shower was today, and i must admit, i am completely overwhelmed at the love and generosity that everyone has shown my two babes. we had about 30 people in attendance (including one surprise guest - you know who you are!), and had a great time socializing, eating, and celebrating jeffry and sadie's impending arrival. =)

my awesome cake from fairy dust cakes:





my awesome hostesses (and a pouty niece):



and here's the unpacked stuff.... i apologize for the cameraphone pics but i am so exhausted i didn't feel like hauling my 40D in to use it....















to everyone who attended, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!!!!!!

squee! bedding is here!!! (and some random stuff)

my purdy new diaper bag

cute but impractical burp cloths

jeffry's bunny and booties

sadie's bunny and booties

and their coming home outfits

27 week belly pics

How far along? 27 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: + 6 pounds

Stretch marks? none yet, but i'm getting a little religious with the cocoa butter.

Sleep: horrible! heartburn is killing me!

Best moment this week: seeing my lopsided belly. it looks like a crooked conehead. =)

Movement: all over the place. i think these two are playing dance dance revolution in there.

Food cravings: cocktail weenies with barbecue sauce.

Labor signs: lots of contractions, but nothing progressive.

Belly Button: turning into a gross looking outie.

What I miss: being totally heartburn free.

What I’m looking forward to: my shower on the 30th!

Weekly Wisdom: nothing new to add.
Milestones: 9 weeks left to go!