Lucky Number 32

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So I'm 8 months preggers now. Remember how I used to say "time is flying by"? Well... not so much anymore. It seems as soon as 28 weeks hit, time just slowed to a crawl. I knew it would happen eventually, but man, it's still hard.

I had my 32 week check-up at my OB's office today. My belly is measuring at 43 weeks!! W.O.W. Keep in mind that a full term single pregnancy is 40 weeks. Crazy I tell you! So my belly has grown 5 centimeters from a month ago, and I'm measuring 11 weeks ahead.

I'm up 44 pounds so far, whew! My blood pressure is excellent. Baby A's heart rate was 147 and Baby B's heart rate was 155 -- both excellent. :-)

So all in all, everything is looking good.

My dad is driving my mom down here this week, to stay for the rest of my pregnancy and post-delivery. It will be a HUGE help. Thank goodness for public school summer vacation! Right now I'm driving into work every other day. Starting July 6th I'll be strictly telecommuting (hopefully up until delivery day). So it will be nice to have someone here during the day -- just incase something happens. Plus, it's helpful since the larger I get, the more immobile and uncoordinated I am. Oh, and I have California Closets coming to install the nursery closet next week. I'm soooo excited!!

Here are a couple random candids from this past month...

Attack of the Cankles!!!

My new recliner helps keep the swelling down. YAY!

(And the belly is a good lap tray hehehe.)

My next OB appointment is Thursday, July 15 at 2:20 p.m. -- I'll be 34 weeks! My next perinatology appointment is next Tuesday, July 6 at 2:30 p.m. Can't wait to see the babies again :-)

Houston, We Have a Delivery Day!

Yay! The doctors finally rescheduled my c-section for Friday, July 30 at 8:30 a.m. I'll be 36 weeks and 3 days preggers. It's my OB's last work day before her vacation. If you remember from previous posts, the perinatologist said the latest delivery for identicals would be 37 weeks, which fell right in the middle of my OB's vacation - hence the reason the original 38 week date was canceled and this earlier date was preferred.

So yay! Only 6 weeks to go!! Let's hope I hold on till then!

Large and (working on the) In Charge

How Twins Are Made:(Whitney sent that pic to me,

I thought it was hilarious!)

Well I had my 30-week OB check up this morning. I've only gained a couple ounces in weight since my appointment 2 weeks ago. The nurse said I'm doing excellent weight-wise for twins. My glucose screening test came back negative for gestational diabetes. Woohoo! Bring on more sugar! I also tested negative for anemia. Woohoo again! My belly is officially measuring the equivalent of a 40-week (full term) single pregnancy. Yes, you read that right... Whew! But the babies will start slowing down in growth soon so I don't think I will keep measuring 10 weeks ahead for much longer... but I definitely still have some growing left to do.

The OB and my perinatologist haven't had a chance to talk about my new c-section date yet, so I'm still waiting on that.

I'm going to try to make it in to work a couple days next week and work from home the other days. I'm supposed to see how I feel at the end of the week and decide if I can do a similar schedule the week following. BUT for the rest of July I'm not supposed to commute to work anymore. I'm hoping I'll be able to continue working from home up until delivery day. But really, it's all wait and see depending on how my future appointments go.

My next OB appointment is June 29 (32 weeks) at 8 a.m.

Still on target...

Well, everything still "looks fine." Baby A weighs 3 lbs. 13 oz. and Baby B weighs 3 lbs. 6 oz. Baby B is right around the average weight for twins at this stage, while Baby A is just a chunk-a-lunk. The doctor said it's about an 11% difference between the babies' weight - they start to worry if the difference is around 20%. So fortunately, even though they are differing in weight, it's nothing to worry about at this moment. Let's hope they keep under that 20%!! So I have 7lbs. 3 oz. of combined baby weight... crazy!

Yet another female issue for me -- seriously, does it end? I had been complaining about a lot of pain on my sides - even a light touch hurts (so you can imagine how "fun" ultrasounds are). Well, apparently I have a "bunch" of ovarian cysts, on both ovaries. So that explains the pain. The doctor said it just means that they'll have to check to see what kind of cysts they are when I have my c-section -- and determine whether they require treatment. I told him I had a laparoscopy and open fibroid surgery last year and there was no mention of cysts. So at this point no real explanation. So yea, I'm just special -- between fibroids, pelvic congestion syndrome, twins and cysts -- I'm a gynecologist's dream (and paycheck).

Added Note: I did call my mom and she says she has cysts too, so that might explain why I have them - hopefully they are like hers and are no big deal.

AND as if my pregnancy schedule hasn't already been switched around enough...

I told the perinatologist that my OB scheduled my c-section for August 9 (38 weeks). He said that date won't work. It's too risky to deliver identicals any later than 37 weeks because of the nutrient issue. I told him my OB's on vacation at 37 weeks. Soooo... he's going to talk to her figure out a new, earlier date. Don't know if that means I'll be delivering at 36 weeks or if my perinatologist will do the delivery at 37 weeks. Either way, I'll definitely be delivering earlier. So yep, a whole new schedule. I'll keep ya'll posted once they let me know the new date.

My next OB appointment is this Thursday morning. I doubt my perinatologist will contact my OB before then. So I'll have to make sure I mention it at my appointment -- so everyone keeps me in the loop!

My next perinatology appointment is Tuesday, July 6 (33 weeks) at 2:30 p.m.

Bed Rest ... Not

Sorry so long on the bed rest update.

Richard and I managed to compromise with the doctor (it helped that the perinatologist wrote a note in my favor) to let me keep driving into work for the next two weeks – until my next appointment – then we’ll reassess the bed rest issue. We just had to promise her I would take things VERY easy and keep as scheduled as possible. She said if I feel anything abnormal I’m supposed rest immediately. And of course, if I don’t feel good in the morning – to not go into work. And once I get home from work, I’m supposed to rest. Easy to do since I'm completely whipped by the end of the day. So at my next appointment (the 17th) she’ll reassess the bed rest outlook. So at least I have a bit more face time in the office – considering I still have 9 weeks until scheduled delivery.

Driving is getting harder by the minute. I have several braxton hicks contractions just driving to and from work. And then at the end of the day, my swollen feet make it hard for me to do the whole gas/brake pedal switch in stop and go traffic. And even checking my blind spot is getting hard. Forget about the whole getting in and out of the car thing hahaha. And I realize I’m only going to get much much bigger.

Of course this last Friday I had a really huge and painful contraction (exactly the same as the Friday before when I was at work - what's up with Fridays?)! But the one this past Friday came after I got home from work. And I was alone. I couldn’t walk or move, even breathing hurt, and my phone was on the table – I couldn’t get to it. It was pretty scary. But after about 30 minutes I was able to move again – albeit very gingerly with residual soreness - just like the Friday before. Yesterday I had a pretty strong contraction at work again, not as bad as the past two fridays, but enough to knock the wind out of me for a bit. I don't like those contractions. But the babies are still moving and kicking like crazy afterwards, so that's reassuring. The Braxton Hicks contractions are soooo much more manageable - just a lot of tightness. Any time the babies do big somersaults or movements together (which seems like A LOT) I have a braxton hicks contraction.

Sooooo I'll keep ya'll updated on the bed rest/house arrest outlook...

Lucky Number 28 - Continued...

I had my OB check up today. I've gained 40 pounds so far! Whew! Closing in on Richard. hehehe. My belly is measuring at the equivalent of a 38 week single pregnancy. Even more whew!

I'm going for my glucose screening test tomorrow. It's just a routine test they do about this time in pregnancy to check for gestational diabetes. It's supposed to take an hour. Wish me luck!

Other than that, my OB is going to schedule my c-section for Monday, August 9. It's closer to 38 weeks (actually, one day short of 38 weeks). She's on vacation when I'm at 37 weeks. And she said she preferred to schedule it for after her vacation than before it (since twins tend to be born smaller since they run out of room to grow -- if you remember from earlier posts, anything 36 weeks or earlier is most likely to result in a NICU stay). Of course, mother nature is ultimately holding the reigns. So I could deliver at any time. But let's hope I hold on until the scheduled date!!!

So at this point I start seeing my OB every two weeks. And then at 34 weeks, I start seeing her weekly. I'm still seeing the perinatologist every 3 weeks. So many appointments! So my next OB appointment is June 17 (my perinatology appointment is June 15).

I'll update this post tomorrow with details about my bed rest/house arrest - I have to talk to my boss about it first.

Lucky Number 28

So I'm officially in the 3rd trimester now -- the homestretch.

This weekend was a whirlwind! I knew there was going to be a baby shower sometime but was kept in the dark about the details. So Saturday morning Richard and I were cleaning the house (one last big clean before I find out how strict the bedrest/house arrest will be). We finished around 12:30 p.m. and then I quick jumped in the shower because my friend Amy (from the 'Cuse) had said earlier in the week that she'd stop by to hang out on Saturday. So Amy got to the house and we chatted for a bit and she said she had to run an errand. I was tired, but I wanted to get out of the house so I said I'd tag along. Well ... long story short, it was all a ruse to get me to the baby shower!

Even though I knew I'd be having a shower at some point -- I was still COMPLETELY surprised. I was so surprised to see Jenn had flew all the wait out from AZ. And Becky traveled all the way from RI. And my folks came down from NY as well as my aunt and my cousin's grandma. And of course all my other friends and family. I was crying like a baby (or babies). It was such a nice surprise :-)

The food spread was gorgeous - Amy (from B-lo) went ABOVE AND BEYOND. There was soooo much food. And these delicious cupcakes with strawberry jam AND cake. A huge cold cut platter. And she had made cute chocolates with baby-related molds for favors. My dad made a fruit salad. My mom made some delicious cookies. Aunt Signe brought some yummy chicken skewers. I could go on and on about food -- I love it! I was soooo overwhelmed and impresssed and basically in shock. It meant so much to see ALL the work that had gone into this shower for our babies. It's good to know they will have so many people caring for them :-)

Jenn had some fun shower games. The ribbon game - where everyone tries to guess how big my stomach is. Judy won - she was only about an inch off. Suzanne came in a close second. The other game was a trivia game with a bunch of pregnancy/labor related words and you had to guess the candy equivalent. Example: Contractions - Whoppers. We all had fun with that game. It was hard. And there were some pretty interesting answers!

We received SOOOO many gifts. I can't even begin to name them all here. I realize I have a lot of creative people in my life. I must admit I was still in residual shock the whole time -- so everything seems like a blur.

Huge shout out to Amy (from B-lo) since she had to handle all the local organizing. Apparently there was a snafu with the original location (they canceled the monday prior!). So she had to frantically search around for a new place. I think it ended up perfect! Especially since it was a pretty warm and humid day -- it was nice that we ended up in a nice and cool location.

It was a great day! Thanks to Amy (from B-lo) and Jenn for organizing it!

Sunday was more of hanging out with everyone that was visiting. I hung out with Becky and Tim in the morning before they left. And then went to my Aunt Signe's for dinner with family. It was nice to hang out with everyone again and then some :-) I didn't leave until 1:30 a.m. to head home! Of course there were hardly any cars on the road. I got to his big downhill on 29 and just coasted away. Well, as soon as I reached the bottom of the hill I saw the cop car sitting in the dark. And sure enough, as soon as I passed him, the lights came on and I got pulled over. I was too tired at that point to be scared or cry or anything like that. I was just annoyed with myself. Of course he comes to my window and his flashlight is right on my belly and the first thing he says is "Ma'am, you aren't on your way to the hospital are you?" hahahahaha. I said "no sir, I still have two months to get there." Of course I told him twins. He laughed. And he made the typical joke about how my hands will definitely be full. He asked for my license and registration. Of course I couldn't reach the glove compartment because of my belly -- I had to shift over to the center console to reach. Yea, I was thinking, this must be hilarious to the cop. haha. Fortunately, I was let off with a warning. Phew -- I'm thinking I have pregnancy sympathy to thank for that :-) So a big shout out to the babies for getting me out of a ticket! hehehe.

Monday, my parents brought Jenn and Mike up to our place on their way home. So we hung out all day. We went to check out Lake Kittamaqundi, in downtown Columbia. But didn't last too long outside - it was warm and kind of humid. We stopped at Clyde's (I love their crab cakes!) - and Jenn and Mike treated us. Then we came back to the house and ate some more of the delicious cake that Amy made. We all just chilled out in the air conditioning until bed time.

Then, this morning we took Jenn and Mikey to the airport. I was sad to see them go. :-( I'm so depressed that I won't be able to make the bridal shower in a couple weeks. But I'm glad I at least got to see Jenn before the babies arrive :-)

Soooooo like I said -- a busy busy weekend. It went by so fast and was full of so many surprises that I wanted to write down what I remembered before I forgot it all. I'm sure I've left out bits and pieces -- blame it on pregnancy brain.

Thanks to everyone who "showered" us with love this weekend. We love you all too! I don't have any shower pics - so if/when people forward them to me - I'll try to post them on here or at least a link to the pics.

Only 9 more weeks to go if the babies cooperate with the 37 week due date! Cross fingers!