18 weeks

How Far Along: 18 weeks 

How Big are the Babies? They are the size of sweet potatoes.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up four pounds post retrieval.

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing all maternity on the bottom (unless I'm wearing sweats) and just a few maternity tops.

Movement: I feel them tapping from the inside when I'm sitting quietly. If I'm up and moving around, I'm a lot less likely to feel their gentle movements. I almost always feel them after I eat.

Belly button in or out? This whole belly button thing is so weird to me. I started with what I would consider a fairly deep belly button. This morning when I was laying flat on my back in bed I noticed that is getting very, very shallow. I can only imagine what it is going to do!

What I miss: Feeling rested.

Milestones: Getting some work done in the nursery. We bought the dresser/changing table and got it all put together and in their room. We also started painting and will likely have that finished up sometime this week/weekend!

Food Cravings:  Corn on the cob and watermelon.

Aversions: Eggs are still off the list.

Symptoms:  Nausea when I get hungry, the never ending stuffed up nose, occasional heartburn, tailbone pain and overall fatigue. 
Best Moment this week: Getting the house a little more prepared for the babies, and a couple of fun dates with my husband.... better get them in while we still can!

Funny Moment: I was watching some show about crazy obsessions on TV the other day- the guy was obsessed with being/acting like a toddler. I was just getting ready to change the channel when both babies kicked at the same times as if to say 'stop watching this garbage!!' 
Tip of the Week: Protein and water fix almost anything!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the babies again in less than a week and finding out the genders for sure. I'm about 99% sure we are having at least one boy, and I waver back and forth on baby B, but most of the time refer to them as 'the boys'. It will be great to feel SURE!

17 Weeks

How Far Along: 17 weeks 

How Big are the Babies? They are the size of turnips or onions.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: ...and here we go! I'm up 1 pound since retrieval. It looks like I've started the pound a week trend. 

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing all maternity on the bottom (unless I'm wearing sweats) and just a few maternity tops.

Movement: These babies are starting to move! In general I've given up caffeine- but maybe once a month I'll have a soda with a meal (usually tacos- what is better than Pepsi with a wedge of lime and Mexican food?!?!). I hadn't had one since I'd started feeling them- lets just say, these babies were AWAKE for awhile.

Sleep: It is hit or miss, but in general it is getting a little better- or maybe I'm just getting more used to the interrupted sleep. I've at least been able to stay in bed all night instead of moving to the couch halfway through the night to get more comfortable.

Belly button in or out? It is in, but everyday become a little more sure that it will come out at some point... or at the very least become very, very shallow. It is becoming very sensitive around the edge where skin that was once inside is now outside. 

What I miss: Life before heartburn :)

Milestones: Being sure I'm feeling at least baby B. We know that baby A's placenta is anterior- and while I think I've felt him, it is certainly a less obvious feeling.

Food Cravings:  Brownies... and they were SO good! 

Aversions: Eggs are still off the list.

Symptoms: Nausea when I get hungry, the never ending stuffed up nose, occasional heartburn, tailbone pain and overall fatigue. 

Best Moment this week: Getting a TON of stuff done around the house to prepare for the babies, our new couch came, we bought the dresser/changing table for the nursery AND of course feeling these little buggers move!!!

Funny Moment: My memory is garbage, but I can't remember any specific examples.
Tip of the Week: Don't eat too much in one sitting. I felt awful after breakfast one day over the weekend, and realized it was because I ate too much. Even though it seems so weird to me to just be constantly eating, I feel SO much better when I do. My purse pretty much ALWAYS has some sort of snack in it these days and as soon as I begin to feel even a tiny bit off I eat something. AND, keep drinking water!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the babies two weeks from today and getting some more work done on the nursery! I think we'll paint it over the weekend and assemble the dresser. I'm hoping we can also start thinking about/working on our registry since our first shower will be in 8 weeks. 

Consignment Sales...

Lets talk about baby consignment sales.

oh.my.gosh.

There are several in our area, and because I am not yet a massively large and angry pregnant woman, I decided to go to one of the smaller ones this morning.

First things first. As I arrived about 30 minutes prior to the opening of the sale I saw that there was a line across the entire front of the building.... and it was raining. The rain isn't a huge deal because we live in the PNW and frankly most of the population lives in a raincoat the majority of the year. However, today's rain was of a special variety. The kind that comes with wind that blows it in more of a horizontal fashion than vertical. The kind of rain that there is no hiding from. It finds you and makes you soaking wet within minutes. Awesome.

Next up, we get inside the building and I really had no idea where to begin. All I could think about was how lucky I am that my mom will be attending the really big consignment sale with me in a few weeks. This was supposed to be a small sale, and it was massively overwhelming! I looked through the slings and front packs, but I just don't know what I want yet, so it was too hard to buy anything. Then I went back to the 'gear' section. I thought for sure I would find a bouncy seat, bumbo or swing that I liked, but instead I found heaps of hormonal women most of which with a screaming infant or toddler in tow and I walked out of the section as quickly as I arrived!

I did end up with some great deals on some little boy outfits. I got 12 pieces for $25 which seems like a pretty good deal to me. Thankfully I will know for sure what we are having by the time the big consignment sale rolls around. This time I was a little afraid to go too crazy on boy stuff just in case baby B turns out to be a little girl instead of our maybe baby boy!

I can say now, that is was worth the time and effort to go, but holy cow-- overwhelming! My advice to you in your consignment sale adventures is skip the purse and put a small wallet in your pocket. Most sales apparently will not allow you to bring in a purse that is larger than your head (someone show we something functional that is smaller than your head!) so this means getting out of line and returning your bag to the car, or leaving it in the coat check area- both options are lame, so just be prepared!

On a more exciting note, my new couch is arriving this weekend and my new sewing machine should be here early next week! I see many afternoons of sewing burp cloths and blankets in my future :)

16 weeks

How Far Along: 16 weeks 

How Big are the Babies? They are the size of avocados.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I am now officially back to my retrieval weight. I was reading a book about carrying twins yesterday and it said at 16 weeks I should have at least gained 10-12 lbs. I lost about 8 and now I've gained that back, does that count?

Maternity Clothes: Pretty much all all maternity on the bottom, and occasionally maternity on the top too. 

Gender: Looking like a boy and a maybe boy!!!

Movement: I'm pretty sure I'm feeling them, but it is still only every once in awhile. 

Sleep: I go back and forth on this every week. This last week the sleep has been pretty good. I'm back to snoozing in the middle of the day about half of the time. 

Belly button in or out? It is in, and I never thought it would come out while I was pregnant. I'm beginning to think it may.

What I miss: Being able to do everything for myself. I'm at a point when lifting and moving things isn't an option. I have to rely on other people a lot. 

Milestones: Hearing them on a doppler at home. One of our friends let us barrow their doppler and we've been able to find them pretty easily when we've tried. I think I'll only need to use it for a little while longer until I can really feel those kicks. Also, my belly is starting to round out and is starting to actually look pregnant and not like I'm eating cookies for every meal... which, on second thought doesn't sound like a horrible idea :)

Food Cravings:  Nothing really this week. 

Aversions: Eggs are still off the list.

Symptoms: Nausea when I get hungry, insomnia, occasional heartburn, tailbone pain and overall fatigue. 

Best Moment this week: Cleaning out the nursery! My parents helped us a ton over the weekend, and we're getting close to ready for paint. I can't wait to paint and then order cribs and get them set up on there!

Funny Moment: It isn't just me that has pregnancy brain. Hubs has said some pretty hilarious things in the last week. Like asking me where his belt was.... while he was not only wearing it, but also TOUCHING it! I also cant help but touch my 'zipper' after I've used the bathroom to ensure that I've zipped it up..... maternity jeans don't have zippers. 
Tip of the Week: Just take a nap when you're tired. It makes life a lot easier, and it makes awake time MUCH more productive!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the babies again in three weeks. And getting some more work done on the nursery.

15 week ultrasound

First things first... two perfect babies!!!

They are growing right on target (a tiny bit ahead) and looked absolutely perfect. Both are weighing in at about 4 ounces and have all of the important things they should at this age... you know, like arms and legs and all that jazz. 

Baby A is almost positively a boy. I will be VERY surprised if baby A ends up being a girl come April 3rd. Baby B was a little trickier to to get a good look at because that little babe was hanging out behind my belly button. We *think* baby B is a boy, but we'll wait for final confirmation in 4 weeks. We did go buy some boy items after our ultrasound yesterday. If baby B ends up being a girl, we'll just have a few extra clothes for baby A I guess!

The ultrasound was amazing. The babies were SO much bigger than the last time we saw them and it was awesome to watch them move around. Baby B was laying right on top of his/her brother- I like to think baby B is just trying to snuggle instead of squish their brother.

All in all, it was a perfect day and we are completely and totally in love with these little babes. I can't stop thinking about those little stinkers!

15 weeks

How Far Along: 15 weeks 

How Big are the Babies? They are the size of an apple or an orange.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Down 2lbs. post retrieval. Up a little less than a pound from last week. 

Maternity Clothes: If I'm not at home and wearing sweats, I'm at least wearing maternity on the bottom. Several non-maternity tops still fit, and a couple pairs of regular jeans will work, but they get very uncomfortable VERY quickly!

Gender: We don't know yet, but we are crossing our fingers for a peek tomorrow.

Movement: I've felt a weird feeling a few times.. I'm still not convinced its the babies. 

Sleep: Sleep and I are not getting along. I wake up almost nightly at  3am and depending on the day, I can MAYBE go back to sleep after being up for 45 minutes to a hour. Some nights are better and some are worse. I figure I'm just getting prepared for not sleeping a wink once these babies arrive!

Belly button in or out? In, but it feels super weird. I think the top of my uterus is about halfway up my belly button currently which is a really odd feeling. 

What I miss: Sleep! I've always been one to lay down, fall asleep almost instantly and sleep soundly through the night... those days are O-V-E-R!

Milestones: Being comfortably in the second trimester and feeling better overall.

Food Cravings:  Fruit, veggies, potato salad and sour gummy candy.

Aversions: Eggs are still off the list,

Symptoms: Nausea when I get hungry, insomnia, occasional heartburn, tailbone pain and overall fatigue. 

Best Moment this week: Going out to dinner to celebrate our babies. We have a favorite spendy restaurant that we went to a couple years ago on our anniversary- on that day we said we would go back to celebrate when we got pregnant and not before.... 2.5 years later we were eating steak and enjoying table-side preparation of our side dishes and dessert. We had a wonderful time celebrating these little babes growing in my belly.

Funny Moment: An intense need for sour patch kids and potato salad at 8pm one evening. For the record, they would delicious!
Tip of the Week: I think it is funny that this remains the same for me every.single.week. You'd think I would learn by now... keep eating and drinking- always!

What I'm looking forward to: Seeing our babies again... TOMORROW!!!