Welcome to the third trimester!

It has been almost two months since I posted here in my blog. I have basically been enjoying my pregnancy and trying to focus on cooking these babies as long as I can. It has been going well and the babies are growing strong. I had an ultrasound today and both boys are measuring 2lbs 7 oz and 2lbs 6 oz, both head down and very, very active.

I have so much love for these babies and so much love for my husband. At one point in my life, I could never ever imagine the joy of carrying a child, let alone TWO precious little beings. I am so grateful for this opportunity but I have not forgotten the many people in my life that are still fighting for theirs.

Truth is, I still hold a tremendous amount of guilt. I hardly talk to many of my friends that I met through my online support groups and I wish that it was not that way. Unfortunately, I completely understand because I have been there too. I give them space and try not to ask how they are too much or talk about my pregnancy.  When they ask how I am, I try to be honest. 

Reality is, it is hard carrying twins and I have a lot of pain in my hips and back and the heat has been unbearable this summer. Let's remember that I am also six foot one. I can't walk any real distance and I need help standing and getting out of bed. I LOVE my boys and feeling them and carrying them and I do not take anything for granted but I have to get something clear, I have a right to talk about how I feel. If you ask, I will tell you. If you don't want my answer, please don't ask. Sorry but I had to get that out of my system.

27 weeks and three days... imagine! They will be here before I know it!  I will try and post more often  but for now, I will share some pictures :) 

Today, it was sooo hot... this is how I dealt with it hahaha

Here are the babies! Baby B is always much harder to see but you can see his little side profile turned inward to the left :)  Baby A is a show off !

Here is a picture from my baby shower! It was an incredible day!!!! I have everything I need for these little monkeys!

And here is a sneak peak of the maternity photo shoot that a friend of mine did :) I really like this one and I cannot wait to see the rest!

Funny Story...

So, yesterday my friend came over for a visit (she is 1 week behind me in her pregnancy with a singleton) and we decided to take a trip to Walmart.  While we were out we were exchanging funny stories about our pregnancies and reminiscing about the AWFUL morning sickness we both had in the first/second trimester. Basically we were thanking out lucky stars that neither of us were suffering like that anymore. We spent about an our picking through the baby stuff and ooing and awing over the little people we could not wait to meet.

When we were leaving the parking lot, we both felt hungry. She decided on chicken and I was indecisive (as I ALWAYS am when it comes to food it seems).  We went through Mary Brown's drive through and she ordered. While we were waiting at the window, I became really nauseated and began gagging. I tried to ignore it but it was getting worse and worse. When the lady passed me the bag I was gagging and my eyes were watering. She asked if I was okay and I replied, "I'm pregnant and the chicken seems to be turning my stomach." I pulled ahead and opened the door. The smell of chicken and grease was filling my car and the gagging became much much worse... My friend scrambled and found me a plastic bag in the back seat.  I got every single red light on the way home (of course) and I gagged and heaved the whole way home!

When we FINALLY pulled into my driveway, my friend jumped out of the car. We were laughing so hard once we stopped that I peed my pants... yup. Got out of the car and low and behold a wet spot on my drivers seat. WELL. At this point we were crying with laughter and I was just peeing down my leg. I could not control my bladder at all. I would say we stood out there in front of my house laughing and crying for a solid ten minutes. Apparently I will never have fried chicken in my car again hahahahaha That was the first time that a smell has ever had an impact on me like that. It was certainly a story that my friend and I will share with our children and I am sure we will laugh just as hard!

20 WEEKS!

How far along? 20 WEEKS!!

How big are the babies?  At 20 weeks hair on the scalp is sprouting and sensory development evolves rapidly. The nerve cells serving each of the senses - taste, smell, hearing, seeing, and touch - are now developing in their specialised areas of the brain. Nerve cell production slows down as existing nerve cells grow larger and make more complex connections. The smell of a newborn seems to be the most developed of all senses, enabling them to recognize you immediately. 

You no doubt feel the kicking and somersaulting of your growing twins. At times, they may be so mobile that they will wake you up during the night. The next ten weeks or so will be your twins' busiest and most active time, until the uterus gets too crowded. 

A whitish coat of a slick, fatty substance called vernix caseosa will begin to cover your twins. It protects their skin during its long immersion in amniotic fluid and acts as a barrier against infection after birth. Your twins are swallowing an increasing amount of amniotic fluid, good practice for their digestive systems. 

Until now your fetuses have been measured from crown to rump but from 20 weeks the measurement will be from crown to heel. And from crown to heel they are approximately 10.5 inches/ 27 centimetres long. Their eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed and fingernails cover the fingertips. 

Your babies can now hear your conversations. If you talk, read, or sing to your twins, sound waves are transmitted along your spine to make them progressively familiar to your voice, helping them to recognise you after they are born. 

Your twins can hear other sounds through the skin covering your belly, but they are distorted as they pass through your fat and muscle, the wall of your uterus and amniotic fluid. Only your voice will be clearly recognisable to them by the end of your pregnancy. 

Most mums-to-be detect their twins movements (called quickening) between 18 and 22 weeks of pregnancy. If you've been pregnant before, you'll feel things earlier rather than later. What you may first think is a rumbling stomach may be your twins doing some back flips.

Weight gain/Loss: I am at exactly my pre-pregnancy weight of 205 lbs so I have no officially gained any weight.  These babies are taking what they need from me. My bum is smaller because my maternity pants seem to fall off! I am feeling good though :)

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes at this point!

Stretch Marks: Nope! Bio Oil! Everyday twice a day!

Best Moment of the week: The hugest kick from baby B :) It was HUGE! 

Movement: Kicks and turns and punches all over my belly! I have some very active monkeys!

Symptoms: Well, I look very pregnant? lol I struggle with bending and I get tired very easily. 

Gender: TWO PRECIOUS BABY BOYS!

Anything making you sick or queasy? Any time I get reflux I have to puke. If I wake up in a rush to go to work and I am hungry, I will puke for sure

Labor signs? Nope and they can stay away for at least 18 weeks!

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Mood? GREAT!

Looking forward to: Meeting my monkeys :)

Sleep: Sleep sucks. lol I am certainly preparing for these little boys. I have such a hard time sleeping because it is nearly impossible to get comfortable!

Here is the Buddha belly!

My First Mother's Day

Every year that Mother's Day would pass, it was always joyous to celebrate my amazing Mom but there was a part of me that ached to be at the receiving end of all the joy. Year after year I watched all the new moms celebrate their bundles and basque in their newly acquired title-- Mommy.

This Mother's Day marks the beginning of my new journey. I am so grateful for the blessing of carrying these two perfect little beings. What a gift it is to feel them move and kick inside me knowing that I get to be their protector for the rest of my life. I have never felt so much love towards anything or anyone in my entire life. I thank God every single day for these precious gifts... it is finally my turn.

Here are a few cards that I received today from a dear friend,  my hubby and my Momma...

Here are my two beautiful bassinets all assembled and ready for my little bundles! BOTH were given to me as gifts. The kindness of other has been tremendous for my husband and I :) Two babies are expensive! 

And here is the proud Momma to be sporting her nice round belly on Mother's day :)

18 Weeks!

Almost halfway there!!

How far along? 18 weeks

How big are the babies? At 18 weeks pregnant, your baby is hitting the height chart at five and a half inches long (remember, that's crown to rump) and weighs about five ounces (the weight of that boneless chicken breast you're making for dinner). 

And now for the skill of the week (drum roll please…): The art of the yawn has been mastered by your baby (someone's sleepy!).  In fact, you might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if you're getting an ultrasound this month. You'll also catch a glimpse of all the fetal movement your baby's doing — twists, rolls, kicks, and punches. And would you believe your baby is finally big enough for you to start feeling those movements now (or anytime in the next few weeks). So get ready!

Something you won't see on the ultrasound, but you'll know is in working order, is your baby's nervous system, which is maturing rapidly at this time.  Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Talking about hearing, your baby's is growing more acute, making your little one more conscious of sounds that come from inside your body (which means you could both be listening to each other hiccup  — a skill that your baby has by now).

Weight gain/loss: Not quite sure! I will have to check that out soon. I don't own a scale so I usually just check at doctor's appointments or at a friends. I would say I have some weight on now. Between the belly and the boobs, it is inevitable

Maternity clothes: I wear pretty much all maternity clothes now with the exception of pajamas and t-shirts that I wear to bed.

Stretch marks: Nope! Not yet anyways!

Best moment of the week: When I felt a kick from the outside :) Last night I was sitting in the recliner and I had my hand on my tummy and left one of the babies give me a little kick :) LOVED it !

Movement: Kicks and rolls and turns! Pretty quite during the day but the evenings are very active :) Lately there has been someone's body part getting stuck up under my left rib and it HURRRTTTS hahaha But I still love it :)

Symptoms: Big round belly, BIG boobs, acid reflux, fatigue and lots of discomfort when I am sitting straight up (I need to have room for the babies so I often lay back).

Gender: We should know on FRIDAY!

Anything making you sick or queasy? Well, there is nothing really particular. I get sick from different things but if I get hungry at all, look out... I will puke.

Labor signs? Nope!

Wedding rings on/off? On

Mood? I have days where I am very emotional about stuff... I had a day last week where I just CRIED and cried ... and cried some more. But for the most part, I am pretty chipper. Hubby injured himself in a freak accident this past week and that has been really worrying me but I have a wonderful mamma who is always willing to help.

Looking forward to? FRIDAY! The anatomy scan and our gender reveal party!

Sleep? I am in bed around 10 every single night if not earlier. I wake A LOT to pee and I drink a lot of water through the night. When I sleep, I sleep very solid!

Stay tuned for belly pics!

16 weeks!

How far along? 16 weeks 3 days



How big are the babies?  By 16 weeks, your twins will each grow to 10cm (3.9in), from crown to rump. They now weigh about 100g (0.2lb) each. 

Your twins' unique fingerprints are already in place. And when you poke your stomach gently and they feel it, your twins may start rooting and sucking whatever is in front of their mouths. This could be a hand, foot or an umbilical cord. This sucking reflex will give them the training they need for breastfeeding once they're born. 

If one or both of your twins are girls, they will now have approximately two million eggs in their ovaries, dropping to a million by the time they're born. 

Your twins' bodies are now growing faster than their heads. Their parchment-thin skin covers itself with thick, downy hair (lanugo). Though their eyebrows are beginning to grow and they're sprouting hair on top of their heads, this may change in texture and colour once they're born. 

Your babies' legs are growing longer than their arms, each fingernail is fully formed, and all their joints and limbs can move. Their external genitals may be developed enough for a sonographer to tell whether you're expecting boys or girls. You may be able to find out the sex of your babies by ultrasound at this stage. 

Your twins' skeletons are mostly rubbery cartilage, which will later harden. A protective substance (myelin) slowly begins to wrap around the spinal cord. 

Your twins' chests move up and down to mimic breathing, but rather than air, they're taking in amniotic fluid, which helps their lungs to develop. Your twins are also starting to have hiccups. Hiccups are an essential reflex which trains their diaphragms, the muscles they need for breathing as soon as they are born. 

Weight gain/loss: In the first trimester, I lost 7 lbs but I have gained back 2.5 of that 7 :) I don't think it will be too much longer and I will be piling on the weight

Maternity clothes: Yup, all maternity clothes now :)

Stretch marks: NOPE! :) I coat myself in bio oil and have been able to prevent them so far! I DO have that dark line beginning to form from my boobs to my pelvic bone! Linea Nigra I believe it is called!

Best moment of the week: Any time I feel my babies, it is the best time :)

Movement: LOTS! Mainly in the evenings. I feel a LOT of movement from the little one on my right side and less from baby on the left.  When I eat anything cold, they move lots!

Symptoms: Big belly, big boobs  :) When I sneeze, I always dribble hahaha

Gender: Not sure! I am still thinking two boys!

Anything making you sick or queasy? Well, nothing specific really. I have been feeling much better. I have had a few evenings throwing up but really nothing in particular set me off. I have to eat when I am hungry or I will be very nauseated. 

Labor signs? Nope and they can stay far, far away!

Wedding rings on/off? On

Mood? BEST mood :)

Looking forward to? This afternoon's ultrasound! Cannot wait to see our little twinkies!

Sleep:  Been sleeping much better lately :) REALLY struggling with sleeping on my left side. I always end up on my right! 

Here is the newest belly pics!

        
15 weeks                                16 weeks

I feel so beautiful :)

This past week, I have been feeling wonderful! The morning sickness seems to have tapered off and my acid reflux is under control with medication. I am growing and blooming and I just LOVE my new belly :) I have never felt so beautiful in my life. Being the keeper of two beautiful little darlings is like nothing I have ever experience. The tickles and movements make me smile and bring me tremendous joy.  I think I am growing two strong boys :)  Here is my bare belly...